Noted
by LadyFrederic
Summary: One-shots about Garfield being Garfield. 'Cause I feel he's underappreciated. XD Taking requests, so don't be shy! Maybe some Jaime thrown in there 'cause I love him, too.
1. Alone Time

Garfield looked around the living room of Mount Justice suddenly, groggily waking up. He had fallen asleep watching a nature show, yet again, and noticed he was in the shape of a kiwi, a creature found only in New Zealand. He shook himself back into his preferred form—that of a monkey—and stood up, wondering why the cavernous halls of the cave were so quiet and echoless. He walked into the kitchen and noticed a note on the counter top. At once, Garfield read the letter and recognized M'gann's lovely print. After reading the memo—which stated she had gone grocery shopping with Connor—Garfield realized what this meant. He was all alone, with only the automated computer to keep him company. But, just to check, Garfield asked the empty space, "Is there anyone else in Mount Justice?"

"Negative," the female, disembodied voice replied.

"Noted," Garfield said shortly, wondering at all the things he could do with this free time. He decided on practicing his shape-shifting. Settling back down on the couch, Garfield transformed into a large grizzly bear and growled. Quickly changing to his human form, Garfield acted like a translator. "Mister Pelican, what Mister Bear said was that he enjoys eating fish." Garfield at once shifted to be a pelican and squawked loudly, twice.

Back to a human, Garfield 'translated' again. "Why, Mister Bear, Mister Pelican believes he could eat more fish than you in a minute. What do you have to say to that?" A bear then appeared in Garfield's place and roared menacingly. "Now, now, Mister Bear, there's no need to get so touchy! What's your opinion, Mister Rooster?" A now human Garfield asked the empty room before transforming into a green rooster, which crowed and pecked at the sofa.

"Quite right," Garfield said, nodding. "Grain is rather tasty… But I feel I should ask what Mister Hawk has to say. Well, Mister Hawk?"

Garfield continued this little game, transforming into a rat, ostrich, crocodile, hamster, tortoise, and tiger. Soon, all the different animals were 'fighting'—particularly Mister Crocodile and Mister Tiger, who were both intent on eating Mister Hamster. Eventually, though, Garfield got all the arguments settled, promising Mister Tiger and Mister Crocodile he would get them something to eat, and convincing Mister Bear Mister Pelican would, in fact, beat him in any fish eating contest.

When he heard M'gann and Connor come back, he quickly flicked on the television. "What've you been up to, Gar?" M'gann asked.

"Oh, nothing," he replied, back to his favored form. "Just learning about animals."


	2. Finding a Snack

With a sigh, Jaime closed the fridge. As usual, there was nothing worth eating in the refrigerator; there were only ingredients that could be made in something delicious. There wasn't anything that already _was_ delicious. Dejected, he walked around the kitchen lamely, and saw Garfield on the couch, watching a cartoon with a gleeful look in his eyes. "What's this show?" Jaime asked brightly, hoping to strike up a conversation with his most nearby teammate.

"Sh!" Garfield immediately shooed at him, not taking his eyes off of the apparently enthralling show. Shrugging, Jaime sat on the couch next to his rude companion and tried to understand what was happening.

The episode didn't make any sense to Jaime. There was a child who appeared to have a pet dog. The dog was a putrid golden color and could stretch his body to enormous proportions, or shrink abruptly. The child—a boy—had a strange hat on and a green backpack. He was desperately concerned with helping anyone he could, and seemed to be willing to go to great lengths to accomplish whatever someone asked of him. Jaime shook his head and found himself smiling, enjoying the childish cartoon. It had been a while since he had acted so foolish and heard a voice in his head_. You should be training right now. This is stupid. Ask the Ape-Boy to battle us._ Jaime scrunched up his eyes and told the voice firmly to leave him alone. It was his one day off, and he planned on benefiting from the relaxing moment. _I will not leave you alone. You can't ignore me._ Jaime replied by laughing out loud at the dog on the show, who had said a hilarious line, thoroughly ignoring the Scarab shouting in his brain. He could feel the alien presence huff moodily and smiled ever wider—it was getting easier to control.

"So, did you like that show?" Garfield asked, flicking off the television after the credits began rolling.

"Surprisingly, yes," Jaime replied. "Do you watch it often?"

"Yeah. Haven't you ever heard of it before?" Jaime shook his head. "Why not?"

"I'm not exactly well-off, Garfield," the older boy said quietly. "We can't afford a television. Occasionally, though, I'll watch something here. I don't know what good shows are, though." He smiled at Garfield who grinned in return. The Scarab was still insisting on a battle with the younger boy, but Jaime knew it was just itching to do some damage—he hadn't been on a mission for a while.

Garfield stood up and stretched before heading toward the kitchen. "There's nothing to eat," Jaime called after him, not wanting to be left alone with the nagging existence in his head.

"You have to know where to look," Garfield replied. "M'gann always hides the good stuff." Jaime got up at once and followed the boy into the kitchen. He saw a large green spider crawling up on the cabinets to the highest one up, impossible for him to reach unless he transformed into Blue Beetle. Within seconds the tarantula had the cupboard open and pulled out a large package of chocolate caramel nut trail mix. It landed with a _plop_ in Jaime's outstretched arms and Garfield landed next to him. "Want some?" he asked, eyes sparkling with childish merriment.

"Sure," Jaime replied and opened the pouch, releasing the glorious scent of cocoa and peanuts. Maybe the kid wasn't as childish as he had thought…

**Author's Note: Hope you liked my shout out to Adventure Time! XD I love Jaime.**

**-w- He and Garfield would DEF be BFFs. Anyways, thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a request!**

**Cordially,**

**LadyFrederic**


	3. Silly Garfield

M'gann got the call early, around two o'clock in the morning. Nightwing was screaming into her head, trying to get her to wake up. She finally bolted upright in bed and looked around. _What?_ she asked Nightwing. M'gann had just gotten back from a mission somewhere in Russia around four hours ago and had, just moments ago, fallen into a blissful and much needed sleep. She wasn't exactly pleased with Nightwing for waking her at such an outrageous hour, but M'gann knew it had to be for a good reason. _What is it?_

_Come to the medical wing. Now._ was Nightwing's reply. M'gann at once levitated out of her bed and sped to the section of Mount Justice Nightwing had specified. She was there in seconds and saw Garfield lying on the bed, green blood gushing from a wound in his stomach. Her throat seized up suddenly and M'gann collapsed on the ground. She felt arms around her, attempting to lift her, but she didn't know who it was; they were slippery and wet, but were soon replaced by warm, strong arms that carried her easily and set her down on the bed directly next to Garfield.

"Gar…?" she asked tentatively, reaching for his hand. "Garfield?" Tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to spill over. She held them back, though, and looked over at Nightwing. "Blood transfusion?" Her teammate nodded.

.3.

M'gann awoke slowly, everything before her eyes fuzzy and distant. She couldn't hear what the others were saying, but found a hand helping her to sit up, slowly and cautiously. Once in a sitting position, the fog in front of M'gann's eyes cleared and she observed what was in front of her. Garfield was sitting up, beaming vibrantly at her. He seemed perfectly fine and M'gann smiled. "Gar. What happened?" she asked, wanting to know what had caused such an injury. He hadn't been on a mission that late, had he?

"I was practicing my shape-shifting on the kitchen counter and fell. I landed on a knife. Well… actually, I was balancing the knife on my head and it landed on me."

"Garfield, why were you practicing shape-shifting at two in the morning? With a _knife_ on your head?" M'gann couldn't believe how he had thrown caution to the wind like that.

"I couldn't sleep. It seemed like a good idea at the time…"

M'gann couldn't help but laugh. She hugged her brother and muttered, "You are so silly…"


	4. Pranks

Nightwing walked into Garfield's room, opening the door after calling to the younger boy over the loud-speaker system and not getting a response. He was livid, tired of Garfield's antics to get out of missions. He came into the clutter and rank room and saw Garfield sitting on his bed, smiling hugely and excitedly as his vision was suddenly blocked and he became instantly soaked.

"YES!" Garfield shouted, whooping. His prank had gone perfectly—Nightwing had walked right into the correct spot, allowing the bucket that was full of ice cold water to fall on his head. After romping around the room because of his genius, perfect success, Garfield chanced a glance at his senior teammate and transformed immediately into a cheetah, sprinting out of the room and away from the irate—and drenched—Nightwing.

.3.

_M'gann, will you come here?_ Garfield thought to his sister.

_Sure, Gar. Where are you? _she replied brightly.

_The kitchen. Hurry!_ Garfield sounded playful as opposed to scared, so M'gann took her time, floating leisurely to the place he had mentioned. When she arrived, she found her brother attempting to open a jar of sorts. She glided over to him and landed softly.

"What's all this?" she questioned, a smile on her face.

"I'm trying to open this jar of peanut brittle. The lid just won't budge!" As if to emphasize his point, he demonstrated how difficult it was for him to open by twisting the lid as hard as he could. Done trying, he began panting slightly. "It's too hard for me. Could you use your telekinesis to take it off?"

"Maybe…" M'gann took the jar from him and tried pulling it off just with her hands. To her surprise the jar opened easily and a flurry of vibrantly colored coils came bounding out of the cool metal. "Ah!" she yelled, thoroughly shocked. Garfield began giggling crazily and sprinted away, M'gann calling all sorts of threats after his disappearing figure.

.3.

Garfield crept around the living room of Mount Justice, a can of shaving cream in hand. He spotted Conner sleeping on the couch and put his hand to his mouth to keep from laughing too loudly. Cautiously, the mischievous boy tip-toed over to Conner and squeezed a healthy amount of the white foam onto his outstretched hand. He then quickly transformed into a chicken and managed to pluck a feather from his wings. Ignoring his watering eyes, Garfield proceeded to tickle Conner's nose until the hand covered in the cream slapped down on his face.

Conner awoke with a start, his anger immediately flaring up. "GARFIELD!" he shouted; but the boy was already gone, his laughter echoing around the cave.

**Author's Note: I think Garfield would get quite the kick out of pranking his friends. He just seems like that type of dude. Thanks for all the Alerts/Favorites and Reviews! They do help the writing process more than you think. Also, requests are much appreciated! Thanks for reading!**

**Cordially,**

**LadyFrederic**


	5. Strange Girl

**Requested by Ex Mentis**

Garfield really didn't know how Robin and Jaime had convinced him to go out with them. He hated being in the 'real' world—he was either covered head to toe in make-up, or had to wear a hood that gave him weird looks; and since his 'friends' had practically dragged him out of the cave to Gotham City at five o'clock on a Saturday night, he really didn't have any choice but to wear the _cape_, if he were to call it even that.

They prowled about the streets of the city, Robin showing them the best Gotham City had to offer. They walked through the City Park and Garfield watched as the other two boys played a round of basketball while he sat dejectedly at the sideline—he couldn't risk the hood coming off, revealing his emerald complexion. "Let's go get something to eat!" Robin suddenly said. Jaime smiled and followed the Gotham native, leaving Garfield to thump along behind them. "What do you guys feel like? Italian, Mexican? Don't worry—the bill's on me." They had been walking for a few minutes when they came upon a small homey diner, which they all agreed would be perfect; not that the others asked Garfield, who took to brooding in silence.

"C'mon, Gar, lighten up," Jaime said, trying to bring the shape-shifter back to his usual bright mood. The younger boy's reply was shifting his gaze out of the window, away from his companions. Robin simply rolled his eyes from under his Ray Bans and dug into his cheeseburger.

Jaime and Robin ate their meals and finished, chatting animatedly the entire time. Garfield, on the other hand, barely touched his salad and took only a few sips of his soda. Robin picked up the tab and the group left the diner. "Back to Mount Justice?" Robin asked.

"Sure," Jaime replied and Garfield nodded from under his hood. Jaime turned to look at Garfield. "Look," he began. "I know you didn't exactly want to come with us, but know that we just wanted to have some fun with you. Would you rather we just ignored you and left you at the cave all by yourself? Wait, don't answer that…" Robin spoke up next.

"Jaime's right. Garfield, you've got to get used to being around people who don't know you. It's a crucial part of being a hero—you've got to be able to integrate yourself into society. Who knows when you'll need to do something undercover? It's good practice. I'm not sorry we brought you. Lighten up a bit, 'kay?" Both boys looked at their hooded friend and noticed his was completely ignoring them. "Are you even paying attention?" Robin asked.

"Sh!" Garfield said, throwing his hand in front of Robin's mouth. "Shut up, dude!"

"What?" Robin yelled and Garfield clamped his hands over Robin's mouth totally.

"Is it that girl?" Jaime asked, nodding to a person standing outside of an old book shop and staring intently at the contents inside. They couldn't really make out her features, but from her silhouette, all the boys could tell she was extremely slender and lithe. They walked a bit closer and she turned to look at him. The girl had extremely pale skin and dark shoulder-length hair. She wore all black, except for dark purple Converse.

"Hello…" she said in an emotionless voice, simply looking at them awkwardly.

"Hi," Robin replied. "How are you?"

"Fine…?" Her brow furrowed and she took a tentative step back. "I think I'll go…"

"Wait!" Garfield shouted. She stopped immediately and studied him, tilting her head slightly to the left. "Um…." The girl walked up to him and reached for the hood, pulling it off. "No! Stop!" He grabbed her wrists, but it was too late. Robin and Jaime simply stood in shock, waiting to see what she would do; they were expecting her to shriek, to run away, to call for help. However, all she did was look into his green face. Garfield had scrunched up his eyes in fear, but he slowly opened them and met her purple ones. "Aren't…. Aren't you.. afraid…?" he asked, his voice shaky.

"Not really." She pulled the hood back over his face. "What's your name?"

"….Garfield." The girl smiled and turned away.

"See ya around. You can call me Rachel."

After about half a block the girl turned down an alley. "Well _that_ was weird…" Robin mused.

"Yeah. She was strange. And, for a girl, she wasn't that attractive. What did you think, Gar?"

Garfield didn't answer, though. He was thinking about the way Rachel had looked right at him, right into his eyes and didn't flinch away in fear of him. She had a kind of dark presence around her, but he found it intriguing as opposed to bizarre. He remembered the feel of her skin under his hands, how she hadn't fought him, the way her dark hair swirled in the slight breeze in an innocent way—and for once, was glad he had a hood covering his bright red face.

**Author's Note: In the comics Raven, takes the name 'Rachel Roth'. That's why she was named that here. (If you didn't get that was Raven… XD) Hope you enjoyed, and please leave more requests! They're so fun!**

**Cordially,**

**LadyFrederic**


	6. Rainy Day

There was a sudden crash of lightning that shook the entire cave. Garfield was sitting with Conner in front of the television, the two of them watching the static together. However, it wasn't long until the screen went black as the power went out. "Ugh," Garfield groaned, rolling around on the couch, bored to death. "This sucks. I want to go _do_ something. But the zeta network is down and now the power's out. Just _perfect_."

Conner looked at the boy. "We could always play a game or something." Garfield sat up and looked at him.

"Like what? There's no game where you can't cheat." He said this playfully, trying to bait Conner.

"What about hide and seek? And I _promise_ to not use my x-ray vision." Garfield gave him a skeptical look—and then nodded hugely.

"Let's invite Jaime and M'gann. They're here in the cave, right?"

"M'gann's with La'gaan. They won't want to be bothered…" Garfield noticed the steely way Conner said this and decided to not bring his sister up anymore. "I bet Jaime's in the training room." They two went there and convinced their friend to join them.

"Is it no powers?" Jaime asked, looking between his two companions. Garfield could easily turn into a fly or other small bug and never be found—while Conner could use any number of his powers to find them quickly.

"Yeah. You have to stay yourself Garfield—your _human_ form." Garfield crossed his arms grumpily and reverted to his normal form. "Who wants to count first?"

"You should, Conner!" As soon as Garfield threw the job of seeking on Conner, the two younger boys sprinted off. Conner rolled his eyes but smiled, enjoying Garfield when he wasn't being a nuisance.

"One… two… three… four…" Conner began counting to fifty, knowing that was more than enough time for the boys to hide. After he finished, Conner heaved a big sigh and planned his search. He would start in the bedrooms, head next to the kitchen and living room, and finish in the training room…

.3.

Jaime ran down the halls, wanting to find a good hiding spot anywhere. He loved having these moments when everyone on the team just acted like kids, like a family. _Families are for the weak. We don't need a family_. Jaime rolled his eyes and told the Scarab that the greatest warriors had something to fight for—and for him, it was this team. To his satisfaction the Scarab remained silent.

The boy continued to search for a place to hide. He couldn't become Blue Beetle to get anywhere, so that left only a few places left. Jaime finally decided on a classic spot, hoping the obviousness of it would be his salvation and ran to Conner's own room and slid under his bed, trying to even out his breathing and ignore the constant peals of thunder.

.3.

Conner walked through the bedrooms, checking each one thoroughly. M'gann's was empty, Garfield's was vacant, and he had looked in the other spare rooms; the only one left was his own. He walked in and his eyes immediately—and involuntarily—glanced over to his bedside table, on which there was a turned down picture of himself and M'gann. He slowly plodded over to it and sat on his bed, heaving a sigh as he looked at the picture. In it, he was sitting down and M'gann was standing over him, her arms wrapped around his neck, kissing his cheek. He smiled and sat the photo back down, leaving it up.

Conner stood and opened up his closet. He checked the highest shelves and poked around the farthest recesses back, not finding a thing. Stumped, he shut the doors and went to go check the kitchen.

.3.

Jaime let a huge exhale of breath escape his chest as soon as he was sure Conner was far enough away. It had been tormenting to be able to see his boots thumping on the carpet, adding to the noise of the storm; especially since Conner had decided to sit right on top of the younger boy for about a minute, not moving. Jaime was convinced he was going to swing his head down and be grinning at him. So, when he had just gotten up, Jaime was relieved. He slid quietly out from under his cover and tried to find out what Conner had been looking at. Jaime peered around the room and his eyes finally landed on the photo. He smiled sadly, knowing Conner had it harder than he let anyone know. He left the room, not wanting to be left behind, and sat on the couch in the pitch darkness.

.3.

There had been no one in the kitchen, and Conner was feeling a bit lame. He was sure he had come across one of them already, but hadn't found them—he felt like a fool. He walked into the black living room and saw a figure on the couch. He ambled up to them and poked their shoulder, saying, "Found you." It was Jaime and he got up willingly.

"I was actually hiding under your bed and you didn't find me. I wanted to help you find Garfield so I came here." Conner looked at him strangely.

"Did you see….?"

"The picture? Yeah. Look, Conner… You either have to move on or tell her. Being stuck in the middle like this can't be good for you."

"I know…" The two were silent for a time. "Let's go find Gar."

.3.

Garfield was camped out, right between La'gaan and M'gann. He had walked into the dining room and saw them, just talking and cuddling. He had shoved himself between them and told them what they were playing. La'gaan and M'gann then took to talking about their latest missions, trying their best to ignore Garfield.

.3.

Conner and Jaime had searched every inch of the house—except for the dining room. "I bet he went there. He knows you've been trying to keep away from M'gann. I wouldn't be surprised in the least if he's sitting right next to her." Conner scrunched up his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Fine. We'll go look there."

The pair went to the dining room, and low and behold, found Garfield squished between the couple. "Darn it," he mumbled. "I was sure you wouldn't find me here…"

"Try to be a little less predictable less time, Garfield," Jaime told him, smiling.

"Noted…" Just then, they all realized something. "Hey! The rain stopped! _Finally_!"

The youngest boy led the others outside to start a new game, with him being the seeker.

**Author's Note: After so many people asked for a continuation of the previous chapter, I've decided to do more… As always, thanks for the support and requests are loved!**

**Cordially,**

**LadyFrederic**


	7. New Member

**Requested by Abbie Brown**

They had gotten the call in the late afternoon, just as they had finished their training session. The voice of a woman went over the loud speakers as Aqualad wanted the entire team to hear the message. "Uh, hello. This is Marie Logan… I was just wondering if someone could come and take a look at Garfield. He's… well, he's not looking too well. Thank you." The message clicked off and the team all looked at each other questioningly. It had been about a week after New Year's, and the villains of the world were pretty quiet. So, it was strange to receive such a message.

"We head to their location at once," Aqualad ordered. "We don't know the urgency of this message, so let us leave now." The team all got in the bio ship and took off to the Logan Rescue Center.

.3.

The ship landed easily on the flat plain and the team got out. Marie came running out of her home and dragged the teens into the house. "I don't know what could be wrong with him. He says he's fine, but… I just don't believe it." Everyone was confused; and then they saw Garfield. The boy looked exactly the same—save the color of his skin. What used to be a tan peach color was now an emerald green. His hair was even darker, and his eyes had changed to a neon lime.

"Hi!" he said excitedly. "Mom, what are they doing here?"

The team was staring at Garfield. However, Robin soon made the connection. "It was the blood transfusion…" Miss Martian's eyes went wide.

"It's my fault…?" she asked. "I did this to him…?"

"Well…" Robin trailed off awkwardly, not wanting to just tell Miss Martian that she, in fact, had done this. "He doesn't seem hurt in any way. And besides, if you hadn't, he would have died. Don't feel bad."

"Why should you feel bad, Miss Martian?" Garfield said cheerily. "Look at what I can do because of you!" He grunted and, after what seemed like a huge exerting of effort, changed into a human-monkey hybrid. Everyone's eyes grew wider still. Miss Martian was about to burst into tears when she noticed the gigantic smile Garfield was sporting. "Isn't this cool? I can change into animals!" She forced herself to smile. "It's like we're related now!"

Marie shook her head. "I can't believe you're part martian, Gar. Do you… want to go with them?" Garfield stared at his mom. "I'm serious. She could train you how to use this so you don't get hurt or anything. Maybe you could even help others…" Garfield got up and hugged his mom.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Of course. Have fun; and come back soon." After a final embrace, Garfield gathered a few of his belongings and waved to his mom, getting on the bio ship.

"This is so awesome! I've always wanted a big sister!" Miss Martian genuinely smiled and thought to herself, _And I've always wanted a little brother…_

**Author's Note: I hope I did your vision justice, Abbie… Anyways, please leave comments and requests!**

**Cordially,**

**LadyFrederic**

2


	8. Second Encounter

**A continuation of "Strange Girl"**

Garfield crept around Mount Justice, hoping against hope that no one would wake up. He grabbed his cloak and ran for the zeta tubes, instantly asking for passage to Gotham City.

It was late, about eleven o'clock, and Garfield was determined to stop his heart's constant fluttering; it had been plaguing him for two days now, and he had fought the urge to zeta every night to try and find that girl—Rachel. So, when M'gann and Conner announced that they would be going to be strangely early, Garfield took the chance, and began planning his trip to Gotham.

Of course, he had absolutely no clue how to go about finding the girl. He figured he could just fly around and hope he could catch a glimpse of her—and after he found her… Well, Garfield would think about that when he got there.

After the zeta tube had deposited him in the streets of Gotham, Garfield instantly transformed into an owl and took off, taking advantage of the silent flight and excellent vision. He started the search in the same area in which he had met her; he flew around the diner and even landed on the ledge of the book store, wanting so badly for her to be inside. However, Rachel was no where to be found, and he left, deciding to fly down every street, look in every window, travel down any alley, until he had found the girl who had his heart twisting in his chest. He didn't know what it was about the girl who was as pale as the moon with a voice as deadpan as a machine that caused his stomach to turn in knots whenever he pictured her. He was only thirteen for heaven's sake! He didn't know about liking someone, about hormones. He had barely hit puberty, and yet here Garfield was, searching late at night for someone he _knew_ wasn't going to be found.

Somewhere, far off, Garfield heard the chiming of church bells and counted them: three. It was three o'clock in the morning and he hadn't seen anyone slightly resembling Rachel. Depressed and defeated, the exhausted owl flew down to the empty street and sat down on the curb, changing back to a boy. Garfield pulled the cloak over himself and stared dejectedly at the dirty road. He could see the cracks that hadn't been filled and played with a few pebbles, pushing them into the crevices. Garfield didn't know what to do; he was lost, tired, and miserable. He was so full of his own pain and grumpiness that he didn't notice a sudden presence right next to him. In fact, the presence had to lean on his shoulder before he jumped and scooted away, scared to death.

Garfield turned, eyes filled with fear, and saw it was _her_. It was the girl he had been searching for, for nearly four hours. Rachel was sitting right next to him. "Uh, sorry," he mumbled, his words running together, as he face heated. "You scared me."

"I figured as much," Rachel replied, a vacant expression on her face. "What are you doing here, so late at night?" She pulled off his hood so she could look at him clearly, and Garfield stared into her deep violet eyes.

"Well… Um…" He didn't know what to say. He couldn't just tell her that he was looking for her, in the dead of night, without telling anyone else where he had gone. That sounded like he was stalking her. "I… couldn't sleep…?"

"Are you asking me or telling me that?" She questioned, her eyebrows slightly rising. He didn't notice her small smirk and glinting eyes.

"Sorry. I just… wanted to see if I could talk to you again." Garfield nearly slapped himself; the response was so lame, so totally cheesy—he had definitely been watching too much television.

Rachel didn't seem fazed by his reply, though. "Well, here I am. What did you want to talk about?"

Garfield froze. She was so straight-forward, so undaunted by him and his appearance. Shaking his head, he missed her teasing smile. "Um… Why aren't you thrown by how I look?"

"What do you mean?" Rachel asked.

Garfield gestured to himself. "I'm _green_. That's _not normal_. Why do you just look at me like that happens all the time?"

"What does it matter, what color you are? If I don't see African Americans or Hispanic people as funny, why should I give you weird looks? It's just a color of skin." Garfield was gazing at her intently, wondering at every word she said, and noticed the terms seemed to carry more weight than he understood. "Besides…" she whispered, barely audible. "I've seen stranger things." He could hear the hurt in her voice and scooted closer to her.

"Like what?" he asked, keeping his voice low and quiet.

"…Nothing. Look, Garfield, I have to go. I'll talk to you later, though, if you want…" Garfield nodded. "Meet me right here, the night after tomorrow." She walked away and went down the nearest alley.

"Bye, Rachel." Garfield stood and pulled the hood over his head, memorizing the exact spot. In an instant he was back in the cave and sprinted to his room, staying up the rest of the night, remembering their conversation and knew he was just becoming more and more enthralled by this mysterious person, who, unknowingly, held his little green heart.

**Author's Note: Gar is only thirteen, guys. I think it's safe to say he's still pretty awkward. XD Anyways, hope you enjoyed. Maybe if I get enough comments I'll continue this… ;D Thanks for any reviews and please leave a request!**

**Cordially,**

**LadyFrederic**

3


	9. Matchmaker

"Jaime! Come here!" Garfield was whisper-shouting to the older boy, who was sitting on the couch in the living room, watching as Robin was attempting to teach Conner how to play video games.

"What?" he whispered back. He gestured at Conner, trying to keep a laugh from erupting, for the part-Kryptonian was horrendous at any sort of video game. Garfield just waved his hand, making of face of utmost urgency. Jaime rolled his eyes and walked slowly to the green boy's room, thumping his feet along as he went. "What?" he asked again.

Garfield plopped excitedly on his bed and grinned at Jaime. "You're creeping me out… What do you want?"

"I have… a _plan_!" Jaime crossed his arms and let his face droop to a frown. "I'm serious! It's totally brilliant!" Jaime just rolled his eyes and reached for the doorknob. "_Please_! It's for my sister!" The older boy froze and looked at Garfield. He turned back and raised his eyebrows in expectation of Garfield's plan. "Okay. So. You know she and Conner were together for a _long_ time, right?" Jaime nodded, wondering where this was going. "It's obvious that Conner's really down about that. And M'gann's been telling me that she's been thinking of him more and more often. So, my plan is to set them up on a date!" Jaime immediately went for the door. "No! Stop!"

Jaime was halfway through the living room when there was a sudden thud and a giant emerald elephant appeared, running at the older boy. "Get _away_!" Jaime yelled as Garfield chased him and gripped him in his trunk. _We can take him. Change. Change _now_. Let us kill him and teach those others a lesson._ Jaime squinted his eyes, pushing the Scarab's presence away. When he focused back on what was going on, he realized he was back in Garfield's room with the door locked.

"It's a good idea! I want to help them! You have to help me pull it off!"

"Why'd you ask me? Robin was right there. He could've helped you."

"Robin would've just made fun of me. _Please_?"

Jaime sighed. "Fine. What do you need me to do?"

"Yes! Okay, I need you to go pick up the food. It's a place in Gotham, an Italian restaurant. I've told both M'gann and Conner that I'm cooking dinner tonight and that they should be in the dining room at six o'clock, sharp. I'll set up the atmosphere and everything—I've already started that. Thanks so much, Jaime!" Garfield sprinted out of the room, a grin on his face. Jaime couldn't help thinking that this was going to go horribly wrong.

.3.

Jaime picked up the food and brought it back to Mount Justice. After dodging M'gann and Conner, he took it to the kitchen and let his mouth drop. The entire dining room was swathed in black cloth, with the occasional candle and rose petals scattered around the floor. "Dude…" Jaime murmured, shocked by Garfield's attention to detail. "This is… _nice_…." Garfield suddenly popped up out of nowhere, causing Jaime to jump.

"Thanks. It took forever. I'll do anything to make Sis happier. Now… help me plate the food…" The boys plated the steaming spaghetti and breadsticks, Jaime the whole time admiring the effort Garfield had put into setting this all up. It was getting closer to six, and they set the food on the table and ran to hide in a little space Garfield had left so they could watch how the 'date' progressed.

As soon as the clock struck six, both M'gann and Conner entered the dining room and confusedly walked up to the table. When they saw each other, M'gann blushed furiously and Conner whipped his head around. "Alright, where is he?" Garfield had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing, Jaime sharing his sentiments. "You know he set this up. Garfield, come out here _now_!" The boys kept their silent vigil, hoping for M'gann to intervene.

"Oh, Conner, it's not that bad. He's just trying to be nice…" M'gann continued to blush.

"What about La'gaan? You don't think he'd object?" M'gann looked away at that, avoiding Conner's gaze. "I'm going to go get something from town. Bye." Garfield's shoulders slumped as Conner stormed out of the dining room. M'gann sat in one of the chairs and moodily picked at the spaghetti. Jaime looked from one green-toned friend to another, wanting them both to be happy, but finding no way, at present.

**Author's Note: I was inspired by "Fiddler on the Roof" for this one. XD Anyway, it kinda turned out… not how I expected… But I'm happy with it. **

**We ALL know Conner and M'gann are going to end back together. I don't necessarily ship SuperMartian, but it's pretty canon. **

**Thanks for reading and please leave a request!**

**Cordially,**

**LadyFrederic**

2


	10. Training Mission

**Requested by Wingnut 2.0**

Garfield was suddenly awake. "Wha? What's going on?" he asked an empty room. "Huh?" He scratched his head and lied back down, closing his eyes and snuggling back into the covers—only, naturally, to have them ripped off of him. "Okay, what is happening?" Garfield was getting annoyed and looked at the clock, groaning as it read two-thirty-six. Just then the teen bolted upright in bed and got dressed hurriedly, remembering Nightwing had told them there was going to be special training missions for each of them, starting this morning. Garfield knew this must be the initiating of his mission and sprinted into the training hall to see Nightwing standing there with his arms crossed.

"There you are," he said and began typing on a keypad. "We'll be heading out into the forest by the mountain, and you have one goal: to find one of my escrima sticks, without turning into an animal to help you. You have to be totally human. Got it?" Garfield nodded quickly, still embarrassed about being late. "If you can find it before the sun rises, you get… something. I haven't decided what it is, yet, but it'll be some sort of 'treat'. Understand?" Garfield nodded again. "Off we go!" Nightwing walked toward the exit next to Garfield.

"You're coming with me?" The green boy was shocked—he thought Nightwing was just going to let him loose, maybe spy on him.

"Yeah. You have to tell me what to do, like you're the leader. I'll follow your every command, except to go get the escrima stick. Oh, and I've told the others to try to attack us… Just so you know…" The older boy's eyes seemed to sparkle mischievously as he said the last part. Garfield warily changed back into a human and left the cave, already formulating a plan…

.3.

Garfield wiped the sweat from his eyes. They had been searching for about an hour and had yet to be attacked; but Garfield wasn't used to trekking around hilly landscapes. He usually flew or became a deer or antelope, some animal that could easily navigate the treacherous terrain. "Are you okay?" Nightwing asked him, a mocking tone clear in his voice.

"Shut up," Garfield panted. "You know this isn't how I usually do missions." Nightwing just shrugged. The two walked in silence for a time, Garfield wondering what to look for to hurry the search along. "Am I looking for clues or it is the type of thing where I'll just happen upon the escrima stick?"

"The closer you get, the harder the opponents will become. Miss Martian, Superboy, and Lagoon Boy are the three we'll have to fight. Now, you have to decide who the hardest one is, and go look for where they might be. That person _has_ the escrima stick." Garfield nodded, thinking hard. Lagoon Boy wouldn't be very difficult; he would be unruly, not very strong, and couldn't be trusted to keep the escrima stick safe. Superboy was strong, and although he wasn't the most intelligent, he was extremely capable. However… Garfield knew Miss Martian had the escrima stick. She could easily become camouflaged in the forest, could attack from a distance, effortlessly hide the escrima stick; and she was his _sister_. A perfect opponent.

Garfield took them further into the forest. Lagoon Boy would obviously be near the beach; so, Garfield hoped Miss Martian would be in the deepest crevices of the trees. He was rewarded, for not a half hour later, a sudden thud echoed around them and Superboy came flying out of nowhere, landing a solid punch on Garfield. The boy blinked wildly, trying to recover, when he noticed Nightwing was just standing there. "Protect me!" he shouted and watched as his teammate at once jumped into action.

As the fight went on, Garfield got up and put a hand on his chest, feeling where Superboy had punched him. It was hard to breathe, but he knew he had to keep going. "Nightwing, take him down!" His comrade began attacking more fiercely, striking more often and taking more chances. Garfield tried to help, but he was moving slowly and failed miserably at hand-to-hand combat. _Being human sucks._

After a time, Superboy fell, weakened by a glowing green essence, coming from Nightwing's belt. "Sorry… I didn't think I could beat you without it." Garfield immediately restrained Superboy and the two started walking away. "So, are you having fun?"

Garfield could barely make out Nightwing's expression, how black was the night. He again mourned the loss of his animal counterparts. "I guess. It's cool getting to order you around." Nightwing ruffled his hair and kept walking. "Are you having fun?"

"Sure. It's amusing watching you struggle."

"Nightwing's a sadist… Noted." Nightwing chuckled and the two continued traveling deeper into the forest.

.3.

The sky was getting a little lighter and Garfield was getting worried. He wanted this 'prize', whatever it was, and was determined to find his sister before the sun rose. "Will she attack us first?" Nightwing nodded.

"She should. I wanted them to act preemptively, going for the first strike. We should be getting close…" Garfield led them still, enjoying his time with Nightwing. They never really got to just talk to each other, and Garfield saw his elder teammate as more of an authority figure, as opposed to a friend. Lost in his own thoughts, Garfield didn't notice the breath of wind that was so out of place. Nightwing halted, though, and grabbed the younger boy. "She's close…" he whispered. Garfield stood totally still, heightening his senses as much as he could without becoming an animal. Silence was the only thing he heard, foliage the only thing he smelled; there was no sign of her. Except for…

"There!" he shouted, pointing right in front of himself. "She's right there!" Garfield at once leapt at the invisible space and collided with a solid figure that grunted. Garfield knew it was Miss Martian—he had caught a whiff of her cherry blossom perfume that almost faded in with the rest of the trees. "Nightwing, restrain her!" His companion jumped on the now perceptible green girl who was floating in Garfield's arms. However, before Nightwing could get close to her, Miss Martian levitated them both out of reach and threw them against the trees. Nightwing rebounded with grace, but Garfield was much more unlucky.

Taken by surprise, he let himself hit the large tree with an echoing _smack_. His back was throbbing, and he struggled to his feet. The sun was almost over the horizon, and he knew he needed to find Nightwing's escrima stick. While the two were fighting, Garfield climbed up on the nearest tree and scanned the leaf-ridden floor, looking for the small blue object. When it wasn't there, he hopped with ease to the next tree and continued the search.

After a minute or so, he finally spotted a glint of blue under a pile of leaves. Garfield slid down the slick trunk of the tree he was perched in and crept to the pile. "Got it!" he shouted, holding the escrima stick in the air. The fight going on in his presence ceased at once and they both smiled at the boy.

"Good job, Gar!" M'gann said, giving him a hug.

"Nicely done." Nightwing was smiling proudly. "Let's go back to the cave."

"Wait!" Garfield said, and the two veteran members looked back at him. "What's my prize?" he asked gesturing to the sky, in which the sun hadn't fully risen. Nightwing rolled his eyes.

"You get… One free day to do whatever you want, no questions asked."

"Noted…" Garfield replied, already knowing what he was going to use it for…

**Author's Note: AH. I really had no idea where this was going to end up. I just sorta typed and… this happened. Who knows what Gar is going to use his day off for. I sure don't. XD Maybe I could continue this with what he's doing on his day off? Requests? XD**

**Anywhooo… I'll be doing another 'Rachel' chapter soon. Any ideas? I'm pretty stumped. Thanks for reading!**

**Cordially,**

**LadyFrederic**

3


	11. Midnight Meeting

A continuation of "Second Encounter"

Garfield paced frantically around his room. He had locked the door and glanced constantly at the clock, which only read nine-forty-eight. With a groan the boy flopped on his bed. He was so mad at himself—he had forgotten to ask Rachel what time they were meeting. So, naturally, he wanted to get there as soon as possible; he would be mortified if she thought he had stood her up. However, it was going to be a little bit difficult to use the zeta tubes when there was training going on for M'gann. He rolled off his bed and finally decided what he was going to do.

Garfield tip-toed from his room and locked the door, leaving a note that said he was sleeping and didn't want to be woken up. He bypassed the training room and headed for the exit, quietly opening up a side door and getting outside to the cool air of the night. He transformed into an owl and flew to the beach, then changed into a dolphin and swam as fast as he could to Gotham City.

.3.

Garfield crawled out onto the dirty beach, breathing heavily. He shook himself as dry as he could and changed back into an owl and flew to the curbside where he had met Rachel those nights before. To his horror he saw she was already sitting there, looking around and occasionally sighing. He dive-bombed to the alley and quickly changed back to himself, putting the cape on as he did so, but leaving the hood down. Garfield walked out and sat down next to her, trying to keep his breath even as his heart beat viciously in his chest. "Sorry," he mumbled. "How long were you waiting?"

"Just about an hour." She sounded annoyed, but not angry. "But I guess it's my own fault for not telling you to come at a specific time. I just didn't want you to come early and leave, thinking I wasn't going to come." Rachel wasn't looking at him, avoiding his face altogether. Garfield felt his shoulders slump when he realized she was amazingly ticked off, just hiding it.

"You can be mad," he said, standing. "There's nothing wrong with being furious—especially when you're irritated at someone who deserves it." He could hear the steel in his voice, but didn't care. He had been worried about the exact same thing and found it ironic; but he would have waited all night for her to show up, never once becoming upset with her. He flipped the hood up with a single smooth motion and began walking away, irate with himself for making her wait and for worrying so much about this when it was pointless.

"Wait…" she said, her voice quiet, almost pleading but not quite. "I can't be mad. Too many people get hurt…" Rachel's voice was barely a whisper, Garfield straining to pick up her every word.

He turned and went back to her side. "What do you mean?" he asked. "Do you beat people up or something?" Rachel laughed and finally looked at him, staring straight into his green eyes and causing his heart to hammer in his chest.

"I guess you could say that…" Her smile faded, though, replaced by the blank expression that always adorned her lovely pale features. "Look, I'd rather not talk about that here, now… Is there sometime we could meet? For a longer time?" Garfield thought, and remembered his day off. His face lit up and he looked back at Rachel.

"What about tomorrow? I have a day off at… work… We could spend the whole day together…" He tried not to sound as hopeful, but the emotion betrayed him, and he ended up sounding so disgustingly optimistic he flushed at once.

Rachel's eyes twinkled, though, a small smile trapping her lips. "Sure. Tomorrow, meet right here at… nine o'clock in the morning."

"It's a date," Garfield said without thinking. He face palmed immediately, feeling so entirely stupid. "I… I didn't mean it like that…" Rachel smiled again, Garfield not noticing.

"I know what you meant. But, it kind of is a date. A boy and a girl, spending a whole day together… I think most people would call it a date." Garfield looked up at her, so thankful for the way she moved on, bouncing from topic to topic without making it seem awkward or rushed. She stood and Garfield's heart dropped from its height. "I have to go. See you tomorrow, Garfield." As she walked by, her hand reached out and gently brushed his hair, causing shivers to go down the boy's spine. But, in an instant, Rachel was gone, taking her touch with her.

Garfield got up and flew all the way back to the cave, not chancing the zeta tubes. He snuck back to his room and lied on the bed, grinning like crazy. She had called it a date. _She_ had called it that. Again, the green boy could barely sleep, so excited he was about his _date_ the next day.

**Author's Note: I kind of took inspiration from xXRandomnessXx for this chapter… The next Rachel chapter will be of an idea I had (Hint: Rachel is going to learn quite a bit about our little changeling) and the chapter after that will be the rest of xXRandomnessXx's request. Then, the _next_ chapter will be Ex Mentis's request. Don't worry, guys, I'll get them all done! XD**

**Any requests for something else—a chapter _not_ involving Rachel ;)—will be done. I don't like having one chapter after another about them, so… if anyone wants any other one-shots done, they'll come before more Rachel stuff. Thanks for reading!**

**Cordially,**

**LadyFrederic**

2


	12. Making a Splash

**Requested by Guest**

A sharp knock came at Garfield's door. He glanced languidly at his clock and saw it was nine-forty-five. Grudgingly, the green boy got up and answered the door. "We're going to spend a day at the beach. Come on!" It was M'gann and once she finished with her message, the Martian floated away. Garfield quickly changed into his trunks and rushed outside, excitement running through him.

The whole Team was there. Nightwing was sitting under an umbrella with Batgirl, both wearing sunglasses, while Zatanna watched coldly from a ways away. Karen and Mal were sitting together, chatting merrily. M'gann was in the water with La'gaan, both of them diving down and coming up with different treasures. Conner was standing a little to the left of Nightwing, talking to Raquel. Robin and Jaime, meanwhile, had started a game of two-on-one beach volleyball with Cassie. Garfield ran over to join the volleyball game, playing on Robin and Jaime's side, as Cassie was a powerhouse.

"I win!" Cassie called to her companions, who were all lying in the sand and panting heavily. "Game, set, match! Woo!" She leapt into the air, punching her fist up. "Wanna play again?" she asked, eyes sparkling giddily. Thankfully, however, M'gann rescued the boys from another grueling loss.

"Everyone come here! We're having a contest!" The Team all converged around the Martian at once, wondering what the competition was going to be. M'gann didn't keep them in suspense for very long, though. "It's a splash contest. I'm going to fly you up in the air and drop you—and we'll see whose splash is the biggest!"

"I'll be judge," Nightwing immediately declared, obtaining a jab from Batgirl in the ribs. "And so will Batgirl." She smiled winningly at him and the two sat back under their umbrella. Zatanna glared at the red-head as they walked back, turning to look at M'gann after the pair had walked out of her line of sight.

"Anyway," M'gann started again. "The rest of you have to participate. Who wants to go first?" La'gaan immediately shot his arm up into the air, practically bouncing up and down in anticipation. Conner animatedly rolled his eyes as M'gann picked him up with her kinesis and carried him about fifty feet above the water.

"Whoa," Robin murmured. "That's pretty high…" Without warning, M'gann dropped La'gaan and he came crashing down to the waves, changing to his abnormal size as he did so, and creating a resounding splash that thoroughly soaked everyone else on the Team—save Nightwing and Batgirl who were far enough away. La'gaan popped his head out of the cresting ocean, beaming widely and receiving a huge cheer. "That was amazing!"

"Who's next?" M'gann asked, and picked Zatanna up and went through the same process. Zatanna's splash wasn't as big as La'gaan's, but she used her sorcery to form a large bubble around herself, similar to a giant cannonball. The rest of the Team went, the only one coming even close to La'gaan's record being Raquel when she made a kinetic force field around herself. Finally, Garfield was up—the final member of the Team to go. M'gann picked him up and carried him higher and higher, the ground becoming tiny. Garfield's heart began racing at once and he looked to his sister, his expectations high. Just before M'gann dropped him, she looked meaningfully at the boy. "Everyone down there just got dry… Try not to get them _too_ wet, 'kay, Gar?"

"Noted," the boy replied and felt the instant M'gann dropped him. In a split second he was racing down, faster and faster, feeling the wind through his hair. He opened his eyes and saw the water was approaching and, smiling widely, Garfield transformed into a massive blue whale, letting out a cry before slamming into the ocean.

The green boy burst from the water to look at his teammates. Everyone was soaked, and quite thoroughly. Nightwing's sunglasses were slightly askew and the forest behind him was dripping noisily. "I think we have a winner…" Batgirl sighed, fixing her own sunglasses.

**Author's Note: Sorry it's been so long, guys. Life got in the way and I just couldn't find the motivation to write. :I Also, sorry if I got any of the facts wrong about when his mom was alive and stuff. I didn't really understand that scene with the car and stuff… And at the end of the episode Garfield Logan is introduced in, he already has the green eyes. That's why I thought she could possibly still be alive. D: Sorry.**

**I don't want to do anything too in depth with Cyborg or Kory. I don't want to go adding new members to the Team (I don't know how the dynamic would be) and I've already added Raven. Personally, I think that's sufficient. But, it is entirely possible I'd give them a little cameo!**

**Hidden Waterbird: I'm only going to do one of your requests… Which one? I have no idea. XD**

**Thanks to everyone who read this, after my absence. I won't be able to update for a while again, but I'll be sure to have another Rachel/Raven chapter out before the month is over. Thanks again for reading!**

**Cordially,**

**LadyFrederic**

2


	13. First Time Around

**Requested by Hidden Waterbird**

Garfield's stomach was bursting with butterflies. He hopped anxiously into the bio ship, ready and extremely nervous for his first mission. "Now, Garfield," Aqualad said coolly, trying to calm the boy down. "This is a simple recon mission. We're going for stealth. You go with Robin and find the CD. Then, get out of there. Robin." The now not youngest member of the Team looked expectantly at the leader. "Stay with him." He nodded and laughed mischievously at the green boy.

The Team was all seated around the bio ship, being carried to a deserted Pacific Island. There had been a tip that the mysterious Black Manta was using the island as a base of operations and was making plans there. Batman had sent the Team in to investigate and get away with any leads they could, all without alerting the inhabitants of the island. It was Garfield's first mission since being accepted by the Team, and he had taken the name "Beast Boy" due to his shape-shifting nature. The boy looked around at his teammates and noticed many things…

Miss Martian and Superboy were sitting right next to each other, chatting quietly about what they would do while Robin and he went searching for the plans. They were both smiling, their eyes lighting up. Robin and Zatanna were sitting in adjacent seats, awkwardly avoiding each other's gaze. Apparently, as Garfield had heard from Kid Flash, Robin had just broken up with her for another girl—but, obviously, no one knew who that girl was. Aqualad and Rocket were acting the most normal, occasionally catching each other's eye and blushing slightly. Artemis and Kid Flash meanwhile were stealing glances at each other, never catching the other at the same moment. It was fun to watch his teammates, even though they were all so much older.

.3.

"Make sure you stay close," Robin whispered to Beast Boy. The green boy nodded in return and transformed into a fly, buzzing right beside his better. Robin immediately jumped out of the brush he was hiding in and darted across the empty walkway, sliding neatly under a break in the electric fence and forward rolling into an open crate, concealing himself. The entire process took no more than five seconds and left a green fly flying in one spot, little mouth slightly agape. Robin motioned for him to follow, and the minute bug found its way over the fence to the wooden crate. "_Stay close_," Robin repeated and Beast Boy gave a little buzzing nod.

Robin waited patiently for the patrol men to pass, then slickly dashed directly behind them and grappled silently to the roof of the complex in the middle of the fence. The little fly flew quickly behind, panting slightly. As soon as they were safely on top of the roof, Robin hooked a small USB device into a port and a glowing blue screen appeared, downloading the layout of the building. "The computer room is on the basement floor, only accessible through an elevator, stairs, or ventilation ducts…" The older boy glanced at his partner, who had changed back into a human and was sweating. "Ducts it is. Let's go." Beast Boy grudgingly turned into the fly again and followed Robin as he cut through the sheet metal with a laser pointer and hopped into a hole, directly onto more metal—the duct.

Beast Boy turned back into his usual self and stayed close behind the Boy Wonder, in awe of how calm he was about the whole scenario. Within minutes the vent suddenly dropped off and went straight down. Robin hooked a cable onto the roof of the duct and lowered himself down, barely causing the metal to shudder. Beast Boy followed, deciding to be a butterfly—much quieter. Robin smiled and nodded, pleased with his choice to be silent. They continued crawling through the ventilation system, occasionally coming across a meeting or training; but Robin told him they needed to keep going—it was their responsibility to get the plans and return without being noticed at all. So, Beast Boy ignored the feelings of guilt he had about letting all those 'bad guys' go and kept himself focused.

It wasn't too much longer that they came to the last floor. Robin stuck a tiny camera through the slits in the vent to check if anyone was in the room. The space was devoid of people—but there were four cameras, one in every corner, taping the area. Robin stuck the USB drive into an almost invisible patch in the wall and disengaged the cameras, having them reply the same two seconds of tape over and over again. "I can only keep them like that for about five minutes. Let's make this quick." The two boys dropped onto the cold concrete floor, Robin immediately up and at the main computer. He instantly began downloading file after file, at the same time downloading an encryption into the computer so they wouldn't be able to realize they had been hacked into. Beast Boy took to guard duty and changed into an ant and crawled under the door, watching with wonder as sentinel after sentinel walked right by the room, having no idea they were being broken into.

After three minutes—but what felt like a lifetime—Beast Boy crawled back under the door to see an empty room. Everything appeared normal, so he changed back into a fly and went up to the vent, sliding through the slits. He found Robin sitting there, relaying the data quickly to make sure he hadn't missed anything. "Good work," Robin whispered, smiling. "Let's get the heck out of here."

The boys went back the way they had come, crawling through the ducts. However, about halfway up, a loud beeping resounded throughout the base, accompanied by the flashing of red lights and a call of "Perimeter breech. All men ready to attack." The two exchanged worried looks and began crawling faster, worried either they had been found out or their teammates had. Within minutes they were on the roof and saw that there was no one outside. Beast Boy breathed a loud sigh of relief; then, suddenly, lights trained on the two and thugs came from the ground.

Robin immediately went into action, throwing smoke pellets and taking out three goons with one hit. Beast Boy, much unprepared, stood stock still under he realized they were under attack. He changed into a jaguar and sprang at some of the hooligans, careful not to hurt them too badly. The battle went on for about two minutes, and the bio ship suddenly appeared. "BB we need to go!" Robin shouted. He grappled up to the ship and Beast Boy jumped, almost missing. As soon as the two were in, Miss Martian sped off, the whole Team breathing heavily.

.3.

Back at the Cave, the Team discussed what happened. Apparently, Kid Flash had triggered a motion sensor and Black Manta assumed there was someone inside their base. After Wally had profusely apologized, the rest of the Team looked to Garfield. "He did well. He could improve on his fighting skills, but other than that he was a good partner." Garfield beamed at Robin's report.

"So…" Raquel asked. "How was your first time around?"

**Author's Note: I kind of combined the responsibility thing with his first mission. I find it so hard to write Richard being serious. :I Anyways, I'm such a liar. XD Maybe I'll get one more chapter in before my absence. I love you all. ;D Thanks for reading!**

**Cordially,**

**LadyFrederic**

3


	14. Baby Sitter

Garfield was lying on his side on the couch, watching television with a glazed expression. It was a Monday and he had just finished with his home schooling. His math lesson had been particularly grueling and M'gann had made him keep re-working the exact same problem until he had gotten it right. Basically, he was at his wits end, and just wanted a little bit of television-brain-washing; but, sadly, that was not to be…

"Everyone come here!" Garfield rolled his eyes as Zatanna called the Team to the training room. The Team: Kaldur, Raquel, Robin, M'gann, Wally, Artemis, and Conner all trudged into the space and looked expectantly at their resident sorceress. "I've been learning this new spell and I think I've got it right. I want to try it on you guys!" The Team all gave her skeptical looks. "What it should do is transform us into dogs for about two hours. I'm not going to try it on Garfield, but I want to see how it affects you guys—specifically you, M'gann. You guys ready?" They all nodded, Garfield stepping back. "Nrut su otni llams seno!" There was a puff of smoke and Garfield coughed, waving his hand back and forth to dispel the whiteness in the air. After the room had cleared he was faced with—not dogs—but six screaming babies.

.3.

"AH!" Garfield shouted, not excited about looking after six fussy brats. "Zatanna! Which one is Zatanna?" The little kids had retained clothes that closely resembled their normal attire—but they were all crawling about and screaming so much that Garfield couldn't focus. "Everyone calm down!" One of the babies—the one which seemed to be Wally—balled his little hands into fists, looked right at Garfield, and shrieked at the top of his lungs, causing his face to turn bright red. Garfield, quickly loosing any form of patience, transformed into a lion and roared at the kids, finally getting them to quiet down and stare at him, shocked; he had dared get in the way of their little child fury? Garfield changed back into his normal self and the bawling began as well. He glared at the children, and this time changed into a hippopotamus. All the little heroes looked at the green gargantuan creature with a sparkle in their eyes, and not a sound coming from their lips. The hippopotamus smiled—as hippopotamuses do—and changed into a gorilla, picking up the babies and taking them to the living room, gathering a sort of pin as he did so.

Garfield piled the youngsters into the play pin and changed back into his normal monkey self. However, the kids saw the difference and began crying again. The green boy rolled his eyes and became a cassowary. Robin—or the baby that looked like Robin—screeched in delight. The bird turned its head to one side and pecked comically at the ground, causing a few more of the kids to giggle with glee.

Surprisingly, the now oldest boy in Mount Justice found he was quite enjoying the children's game. He tried to change into an animal that made each of the individual heroes laugh. For Robin, the cassowary got the biggest laugh, an elephant coming in a close second. Kaldur was particularly enchanted when Garfield turned into a giant octopus. Raquel giggled crazily when Garfield became a turtle and proceeded to struggle across the carpeted floor. Wally found a cricket totally amusing, whilst Conner—oddly—liked laughing at the capuchin monkey. M'gann seemed to be in wonder at every animal Garfield changed into, but would always utter a squeal of happiness when he returned to his normal—human—form. Finally, Artemis pointed and laughed whenever Garfield transformed into a snake-like creature and slithered about. The only one he couldn't get to laugh was Zatanna; he tried as many birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals as he could think of, but nothing got a reaction from the little girl.

After about an hour and a half of playing with the tykes and finding what their favorite animal was, Garfield found a camera. He set it up and took dozens of pictures; the quality and subject of photo ranged from completely blurry to incredibly sharp and the group as a whole to a slip of the finger that resulted in an image of the carpet. In every picture, though, Garfield found himself having more and more fun. But, soon the half hour was over, and Garfield knew the time was coming when his big bossy teammates would replace these wonderful push-overs.

Suddenly, an idea came to the green changeling, and he set up the room perfectly, excited for his friends' return. After making sure all the details were perfect, Garfield set up a video camera and bolted out of the living room, just in time.

An explosion shook the Cave as soon as Garfield reached the threshold of the room. "Where are we?" Wally asked.

"How should I know?" Artemis' angry retort came.

"I wasn't asking you specifically… I was asking everyone." Garfield was watching from a distance and saw Wally roll his eyes.

"We seem to be in the living room in some sort of… play pin?" Robin's voice sounded extremely confused.

"What's going on here?" Raquel asked. Then, someone finally saw the note Garfield had left behind. "No…"

Zatanna's eyes bulged. "I said… 'Turn us into small ones'… So we became… _babies_?" The room went silent. "And… Garfield took… _pictures_?" The boy's laughter echoed throughout the Cave as the teens all got out of the pin and attempted to chase him down, preventing him from blackmailing them.

**Author's Note: I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack! :D Hope you liked this little ditty. It was fun to write! I'll still do requests… but keep in mind I want them to be HUMOROUS. I don't want to write a bunch of serious stuff… 'Kay? XD **

**Anyone notice how the song 'One Thing' by One Direction was basically WRITTEN for Miss Martian and Superboy? …Just me…? 'Kay… XD**

**Thanks for Reading, Reviewing, Favoriting, and all that good stuff!**

**Cordially,**

**LadyFrederic**

**PS Next is a Rachel/Raven chapter. I promise!**

3


	15. Secrets Revealed

**A continuation of "Midnight Meeting"**

Garfield's stomach was twisting in knots. He had been up since four, pacing frantically about his room, wondering at his meeting with Rachel today. He didn't know if he should go in the make-up or the cloak, what else he should wear, how he should act… He was so unprepared, so inexperienced and worried. Eventually, though, the boy decided to go with the cloak; he thought that she would be put out if he showed up in the make-up. So nervous was Garfield that he lost track of time. An alarm went off on his bedside clock and the boy saw it was eight-thirty. His eyes bulged and he rushed out of Mount Justice, not wanting anyone to follow him through the zeta tubes to Gotham. He flew and swam there, sitting down on the curb and sighed in relief when he looked at his watch—it read eight-fifty.

The boy played with the gravel again, waiting for the girl to come. He was constantly glancing at the watch, but eventually stopped looking and just waited. After what felt like an eternity Garfield noticed a presence next to him and he lifted his eyes. "Hey," the girl said, a tiny smile gracing her lips. "How've you been?" Garfield brightly smiled in return.

"Great." His voice cracked at the end and he turned away, his face flushing.

"I'm glad you didn't cover up your skin…" Rachel said, Garfield missing the way her eyes sparkled at his childish embarrassment. "What shall we do?"

"Well, I was actually hoping you could tell me. I don't know what's fun to do here in Gotham. I'm actually not from here." Rachel seemed to be analyzing him and stood up. She was wearing a deep purple tank-top with a black leather jacket, an extremely short black frilly skirt with fishnet tights and black combat boots. Garfield's eyes immediately went to the large golden gem hanging around her neck, but he quickly looked away, trying not to stare. He turned and glanced at her again, though, noticing how the purple went well with her blue-black hair and violet eyes. Suddenly, though, Garfield's stomach growled loudly and he face palmed without hesitation. "Did someone forget to eat breakfast?"

"Yeah…" Rachel chuckled lightly and grabbed his wrist, pulling him in the direction of a sub shop.

"Let's get you something to eat, then." Garfield's cheeks heated humiliatingly and he was glad Rachel had turned the other way.

The couple entered the shop and Rachel walked up to the front counter, ordering a foot long, a side salad, and one large drink. She handed Garfield the cup and he walked nervously over to the drink machine. He had heard about these, but the naïve boy had never actually _used_ one. He looked around at the other patrons fretfully and finally decided to just try it. Garfield stuck the cup under the spout labeled "ICE" and pushed down on the handle. In a sudden burst of sound and movement, a flurry of small chunks of ice came pouring out of the spout and into Garfield's cup. So shocked was the boy that he yelped loudly and pulled his hands away from the machine, knocking the cup full of ice askew. He quickly pulled his hood tighter over his head and picked up the cup, trying to draw less attention to himself. It didn't help when he slid on one of the pieces of ice he had dropped…

Garfield slowly opened his eyes, expecting to hear screams and see the flash of cameras of the people in the shop reacting to him. However, no one was looking at him and Rachel was standing over him, offering her hand. "Haven't you ever used one of these before?" she asked, a twinge of playfulness in her voice.

"No," he admitted, rubbing his sore bottom. Rachel took the cup from him and expertly filled it with soda. They walked over to a table and sat, Garfield wondering why no one was staring at him. He had just made a total fool of himself in front of all these people and they hadn't reacted at all. It was… weird.

Garfield opened up the wrapping and looked down at the sub. It was full to bursting and he goggled at its massiveness. "Whoa! What's on this thing?"

"I wasn't sure what you wanted, so I kinda got a little of everything." Rachel began picking at her salad and Garfield took a huge bite at once, squirting a bit of the sandwich juices out at them both.

"Sorry!" he said, mouth full to bursting. Rachel simply smiled and laughed quietly, looking at him with her big violet eyes gleaming.

"It's fine. Worse has happened to me." She wiped the spray away and went back to her salad, occasionally stealing glances at Garfield who was fully concentrating on his monster of a sandwich. Rachel sighed contentedly, happy to finally feel normal. This boy was so focused on how abnormal _he_ was, he totally missed the dark magic aura that flew off of her in waves that generally made any normal person stay as far away from her as possible. He hadn't even notice her say a spell that made the patrons of the sub shop unable to hear or see them. His naïve innocence was so enthralling, so bewitching. Rachel was enchanted by this boy and wanted to learn more about him, become closer to him. With Garfield, Rachel was whole, normal—she felt _emotion_ when she was with him; she _smiled_ and _laughed_ and was _upset_ when he hadn't showed up that one night. Garfield made Rachel forget about her past and look at the present… She cared for him. And… she thought he cared for her as well…

Rachel, lost in her thoughts, had stopped listening to Garfield, who had begun talking about this one animal he had cared for when he lived on the rescue site in Africa. "Rachel?" he suddenly asked and she shot up in her chair, surprised. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," she said, recovering quickly. "Sorry. I was just lost in my own thoughts. I was just thinking of what you wanted to do after this?" Rachel leaned over onto the table and Garfield felt his heart pace quicken.

"I don't know. Maybe—" Just as Garfield was about to finish his sentence, a large _boom_ shook the ground. Both teens whipped their heads around as the other customers in the shop screamed. They rushed out of the store and were astounded when a boy in what appeared to be a blue bug-looking costume sped overhead, charging a small army of aliens. _Kroloteans…_ Garfield thought. _Jaime… I need to help him!_ The boy glanced at Rachel and made up his mind. "Look," he said, taking off his cloak and gripping the girl by the shoulders. "I haven't been totally honest with you." Confusion clouded over Rachel's eyes.

"What do you mean?" He lowered his gaze and spoke the words with spite.

"I have to go. You'll see." At once, Garfield sped off, changing into a massive lion as he did so. He heard Rachel's gasp and refused to look back at her, tears budding at the corners of his eyes. _I'm sorry, Rachel…_

The green lion ran at the army, feeling the psychic link with Miss Martian. "Where'd they come from?" Beast Boy asked while tearing through five Kroloteans.

"We think they were left behind and decided to try to go out with a bang, if you catch my drift," Blue Beetle informed him. "So what are you doing here?"

"My day off had me in the area. Do you want me to leave?"

"No, dude. Just trying to be funny." The lion rolled its eyes and turned into an elephant. Garfield then chanced a glance to where he had left Rachel and saw her standing there, mouth slightly agape, a single tear running down her cheek. His eyes stung and he put more ferocity into his attacks. It would be better to see her mad, for her to not be standing there at all, _looking_ at him like that…

He was… a superhero. The knowledge hit Rachel like she had run into a brick wall. She was so _stupid_. How had she not felt it? And now she was standing there, crying like an idiot, feeling so angry at herself. Rachel furiously wiped the tear away. Why the heck was she _crying_? She wasn't upset with him… She was more… mad at herself for now not telling him _her_ big secret…

The army wasn't as big as Beast Boy had originally thought. In a few minutes all the Kroloteans were either captured or chased off. "Can you guys take care of this?" he asked, anxious to get back to his date.

"Yep. Go enjoy the rest of your day off, Gar!" Miss Martian said. Soon, both of his friends were gone and he changed back into his original self and grabbed the cloak, walking up to Rachel slowly.

"You probably don't want to see me right now, or even talk to me… But I didn't want to tell you because I thought you would be afraid of me. I mean… a green boy who changes into different animals? That's not exactly normal…"

"You used that word again." Garfield looked up at Rachel, relieved to see her eyes were quite dry. "Normal. Who decides what's normal and what's not? What definition does something have to have to be considered 'normal'? Why aren't you normal?" Garfield froze, all words caught in his throat. She was standing here, looking at him, unafraid, and telling him he was normal. This girl really was too good to be true…

"I… guess I don't know why."

Rachel smiled triumphantly. "Exactly. Everyone thinks they've got some sort of problem or defect that makes them abnormal. But, in the end… everyone's differences are what make them normal. If you _didn't_ have abnormalities, you _wouldn't_ be normal. It's contradictory." Garfield felt himself smile and his heart race. "So… Even though you have powers, you can still be called 'normal'." Rachel's eyes seemed to loose their usual luster as she said that last sentence and Garfield tilted his head to the side.

"Rachel?" he asked.

"Yeah?" she replied.

"You're normal, too." The girl immediately ducked her head. "I can tell you don't think you are, and I can also tell you've had a rough life; I know that you've been through a lot, and even though you haven't told me what it was, I can just feel that it was extremely hard and painful. Look, what I'm trying to say is that, no matter what, I'll always be here for you. You can tell me anything. 'Kay?" Rachel peered up at him and nodded.

"Thanks, Garfield." The boy smiled at her. "I… need to tell you something."

"What?"

"I…. I have…" Rachel struggled to find the words, to make them come out. All she could see, though, was a darkly clothed figure, raining hellfire down upon this boy whom she unwittingly cared for. "I have to go." Garfield's eyes fell. "I'm sorry." Rachel ran, ran away from the boy who made her feel, tears rising up; she couldn't face rejection, couldn't risk hurting this boy who meant more to her than anything. She couldn't tell him her _real_ name was Raven… Not yet…

**Author's Note: Hahaha! I'm so evil! What will become of their relationship now? Sorry, Ex Mentis and xXRandomnessXx. Your requests might come a little later because I'd like to do a little more with this. Can you forgive me? **

**Hope you enjoyed! Another Rachel/Raven chapter will be coming soon. Please leave any reviews or requests and thanks for reading!**

**Cordially,**

**LadyFrederic**


	16. Football is Stupid

Garfield yelled, tearing at the couch cushions. Jaime sat next to him, his response similar, while Connor just stared at the boys, wondering why they were freaking out so badly. "What's wrong? Don't you want someone to score?" the half-Kryptonian asked confusedly.

"Not when it's the _other _team!" Jaime shouted, not taking his eyes off of the screen.

"I don't get it…" Connor sighed. "Football is stupid." The two younger boys' jaws instantly dropped.

"_What did you just say_?" Garfield asked, a dangerous look creeping into his emerald eyes.

"Football is stupid. Dumb. Moronic. Idiotic. Brainless. Care for me to go on?" He rolled his eyes and went for the door. However, the two still on the couch shared a look, and were upon the offender before he had a chance to take a breath of air.

"What about football is stupid, exactly?" Jaime asked. Connor turned to face the boys.

"Everything. It doesn't make sense. There are about a billion rules to remember, along with plays. Nothing's explained, they expect the viewer to just _know everything_. With straight static, there's nothing as distracting and maddening as that." Connor crossed his arms as he explained to his teammates why he saw football as insufferable, trying to make it seem like more than he just didn't _get_ it. The younger boys however caught on at once.

"So…" Jaime began.

"You hate it because you don't understand how to play?" Garfield finished, stifling a chuckle just barely. Connor turned his head to the side and nodded, only a bit. Garfield glanced at Jaime and they both grinned widely. "Want us to teach you?" Connor shrugged, trying to not seem excited.

"Sure." They at once sat down on the couches and began explaining the game. And, after about an hour of talking, with Connor occasionally asking questions, they thought they were ready to watch again. Unfortunately, once Connor half-way understood what was going on, he felt like he knew it all. "C'mon! That was obviously in! He wasn't out of bounds!"

"Connor," Jaime started, "this is the professional league. They have to get both feet in for the catch to count."

"Then why did you tell me it was just one foot?"

"We just told you the rules for college football," Garfield clarified. "We're watching professional—so some of the rules are different."

"Great," Connor muttered, crossing his arms and sinking back in the couch. "So I just waited an hour learning about something we're not even watching." The two younger boys, merely shared an exasperated look, knowing it would be useless to try and tell Connor more about the exciting and addictive game.

**Author's Note: I'm back, everybody! I really do apologize for being gone so long. If you have looked at my profile recently, though, you would have noticed that I haven't been updating this because I have no passion to write. I mean, with the show gone, I have no inspiration. But, with it returning next week, that will change, my darlings! Thanks for sticking with me and reading!**

**Again, I am sorry for any discrepancies in my writing with the show. This is mostly an apology for DoomWarrior451—in that specific chapter, I was trying to have Nightwing be more whimsical, for I prefer him that way to the more 'serious' version. As Robin he's not very respectful to everyone all the time, and is quite sarcastic, and that's where I was getting his attitude from, for I much prefer Robin to Nightwing. I wanted Garfield to be having a difficult time because I thought it would be _funny_; and, the main category for these one-shots is _HUMOR_. Also, I didn't know that he was at all skilled in martial arts (as for as being taught acrobatics since the age of, like, two) and, since he was in his human form, he didn't have 'heightened' senses—that was the _point_ in the mission. He was _not able_ to take advantage of more-than-human capabilities. Keep in mind that, while the characters may be a little OOC, they are _my interpretation_—and that may _not_ match up with _yours_. But, I digress. I regret if you do not agree with how I've chosen to represent the characters. But, hey—you _don't_ have to read this, do you? ;)**

**Now that I've addressed, _THAT_, I must ask that if you've made a request to me and I haven't done it, that you please submit it again—it's been too long and I don't remember who was next! Sorry!**

**Thanks for coming back! I'll see you soon!_ ~Passez une bonne journée!~_**

**Cordially,**

**LadyFrederic**


	17. LEARNING UGH

"Gar, it's time for class!" Garfield heaved out a huge sigh and rolled around on the couch, eventually flicking off the television and going to join his 'sister' in the dining room. She had all of his books laid out on the table, the chalkboard set up, ten freshly sharpened pencils waiting to be used. Garfield sighed heavily and with meaning, but M'gann simply ignored the gesture, grinning at her 'brother'. "Guess what we're learning about today?"

"Something…?" Garfield offered feebly, playing with the pencils.

"Oh, a bit too broad there, baby-brother. Try to be a bit more specific."

Garfield looked at the books lying in front of them, realizing she had pulled all of them out. There were science, math, English, literature, history, Spanish, health, and French books all laid out before him, none of them giving a clue as to which she would begin teaching first. "Hmph," he huffed, glancing at the chalkboard; unfortunately, it was a dark black, devoid of any notes on what the material would be that they were studying. "I give up. What are we learning today?"

M'gann giggled brightly. "Not so fast. You have to tell me." Garfield groaned. He had a headache. He had just been watching his favorite show. He was positive he was coming down with something. He hated learning. He hated guessing. And he was probably going to have to go on a mission tonight. …Stupid Nightwing…

"French!" he guessed wildly, remembering they hadn't had a French lesson for a while.

"Wow, Gar," his sister replied, a small smile on her lips. "Good guess. Maybe you are developing telepathic powers..."

"Really?!" the boy asked. "Do you think I'll be able to move things with my mind? Or read other people's thoughts?! OR GO INVISIBLE!?" Garfield, as his level of excitement got higher and higher, climbed on top of the table and was currently fist-pumping. Unfortunately, the young boy was so eager he forgot that the table, in fact, had an edge, and promptly fell flat on his face.

"Gar! Garfield, are you alright?" M'gann asked, rushing to his side. He sat up and rubbed his nose, sneezing.

"Yeah... Just... I was a little..." He tried to find the right word, but it wouldn't come.

"Careless?" M'gann offered, smiling widely.

"Sure..." He accepted her answer and sat back down at the table. "Now, what were we talking about?"

"French. We're going to learn about all the different kinds of foods today!" The girl was clearly thrilled. "There's bread, le pain, cheese, le fromage, milk, le lait, and eggs, des œufs. Those are just a few. There's also tomatoes, les tomates, potatoes, les pommes de terre, and onions, les oignons. Isn't this great?!" Garfield just groaned.

**Author's Notes: I apologize for this chapter... It's not at all what I was going for, but with the show going on a hiatus AGAIN (grrrr...) this is the best I could come up with. *Awkwardly smiles* I hope you liked it, though. Right now I'm planning on the next chapter to feature Jaime and Cassie (my latest ship) and some of their adorable-ness. -w-**

**Thanks for reading and sticking with me! I know it's annoying that all my updates are extremely irregular, but school is DUMB (and I know that isn't a very good excuse), my life is crazy (ANOTHER sad excuse), and if I'm going to put something up here, I want it to be quality. Which just hasn't been happening. I promise the next chapter should be up soon, though, for I'm jazzed about writing some WonderBeetle. ;D If you got ideas, shoot 'em my way! **

**You guys literally make my day, by the way, whenever you review, favorite, follow, etc. I really appreciate all the support, and I'd love to share in your angst about the show possibly being cancelled. Keep in touch, my darlings!**

**Cordially,**

**LadyFrederic**

**PS I'm going to a Convention this Saturday... So excited! XD**


	18. A Blondie Birthday (JC)

Jaime stared in the mirror, a slight film of water covering the surface, as he had just finished taking a hot shower. He had slipped a pair of grey sweats on and was currently examining his face and hair, experimenting with a new gel he had purchased that afternoon after school. He didn't have a mission that night, so he decided to do a little self-pampering, as one must do on occasion, and that included giving himself a trim, applying moisturizer to his callused, cracked feet, checking for any blemishes, and testing out his hair gel. So far the results were promising, although the Scarab was quick to point out otherwise.

"_You look like a fool,"_ it sputtered, still wet from the shower. It hated whenever he bathed, for it ended up soaking and taking hours to dry out completely_. "Why do you continue to change your appearance? It is pointless!"_

"No, no es," Jaime replied in Spanish, speaking aloud to his… resident, as usual. "You know I have a reason for doing this."

"_Yes,"_ the Scarab admitted. _"And it is an entirely idiotic reason,"_ it added, digging its little legs into Jaime's back and causing him to tense up. The boy resisted, though, and ignored the painful plowing through his skin, trying over and over to get the front of his hair to stick up just the way he wanted. This would get her to notice him… This would get her attention for sure… _"Stop it, Jaime Reyes."_ The Scarab caused Jaime's arm to become suited up and went for his throat. Fortunately, the boy realized what was happening just in time and pushed the overbearing presence back, reclaiming control of his right arm.

"No!" Jaime shouted, exiting the bathroom and sitting down on his bed, placing his face in his hands. "I can't just… _stop_ thinking about her all the time. She drives me crazy!"

Jaime could almost see the Scarab roll its non-existent eyes. _"Exactly. You need to stop this foolish… feeling. Love is a liability, a distraction; not an asset."_ As the Scarab said those last words, the boy physically recoiled.

"But—I—I never—who said I was… in… love…?" His voice got progressively softer as he attempted to convince the Scarab he was most certainly _not_ desperately in love.

"_You do not have to say anything to me, Jaime Reyes,"_ the Scarab answered. _"Every time you see this _Cassie_ girl your heart rate increases dramatically, you begin to sweat, and your hormones go wild."_ A slight pause came from the invader. _"It was not a difficult jump to make."_ Jaime felt completely embarrassed and strolled to his dresser, grabbing a black tank-top and pulling it over his head, being careful to leave his hair untouched. He placed a CD in the tray of his dated stereo system and slow, sad, classical music began playing. The Scarab sighed loudly in his head in exasperation. He always like to listen to it when—

A piercing beeping noise sounded around the boy's room then, and he sat up, stopping the track and walking over to his computer. There was a screen up on the desktop that read: "Suit up. A small encampment of Kroloteans has been found. ~NW" It was Jaime's turn to sigh, but the Scarab voiced his approval. _"Let us show all of those fools who is the most powerful."_ Jaime simply ignored the Scarab's ramblings and made his way to the El Paso zeta tube.

.3.

"Blue Beetle, B22." The female computerized voice called out Jaime's arrival. He walked in the hall, still dressed in his sweats, but he had adorned a jacket as well. The first thing he noticed, as usual, was Cassie. She was already suited up, bouncing on the balls of her feet excitedly—she always loved going on missions. Jaime subconsciously smiled and received a mental beating from the Scarab as a repercussion.

"_Focus,"_ it ordered fiercely. _"Or I will be forced to take matters into my own hands."_

"Fine," Jaime mumbled. He turned to face Nightwing, ready the receive information and mission, realizing that the entire Team was assembled.

"We got this file, sent from the Justice League, that tells us there is a giant cluster of Kroloteans living on an island off the coast of Alaska and—" Suddenly, though, their leader was interrupted.

A boom shook the Cave, and out of nowhere Zatanna and Raquel appeared, confetti, streamers, and balloons all exploding with their appearance. Everyone looked taken aback, most of all Nightwing, who nearly jumped out of his skin. "What…?" he mumbled.

"Happy birthday, Cassie!" Zatanna shouted. Finally it dawned on everyone what was going on—and Jaime promptly turned scarlet. This was the girl he was insanely infatuated with, the girl who occupied his nights, the girl who caused the Scarab to threaten Jaime's life; and he _forgot_ her _birthday_. _Great._

Cassie, herself, placed her hands on her cheeks, her neck going a deep pink. "Oh, guys, you shouldn't have!" she said, happiness radiating off of her. Raquel and Zatanna just kept smiling and smiling at her, the latter conjuring present after present until a massive pile formed.

"Well it's not every day you turn fourteen!" Raquel said, giving Cassie a giant hug. And then it hit Jaime; his face turned white as a sheet, he went dizzy, he honestly felt like he was going to puke—he was a _pedophile_. He was sixteen, able to drive, a junior in high school. Never in his life had he guessed Cassie was only thirteen—now fourteen. If any of his friends at school knew he was in love with an _eighth_ grader, able to kick serious butt or not, they would look at him with wide eyes, think he was crazy, creepy. He just couldn't take it.

"_I knew she was a bad idea. I told you to stay away from the Wonder Girl."_ The Scarab went off on a tangent, but Jaime couldn't listen. Cassie was approaching him, a concerned look on her face.

"Are you alright, Jaime?" she asked. Oh, the way she said his name… it was like heaven, hearing her say it. _No_, she was young, too young for him. He had to stop it, show some self restraint.

"Uh, si," he replied shakily, not at all convincing. Cassie squinted her eyes and placed her hand on his forehead.

"Whoa! You feel ice cold! Are you sure you're alright…?"

"Yeah. I'm just tired… Anyway, I didn't get you a gift… Sorry. I didn't know it was your birthday…" He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, feeling the Scarab pinch into his spine, telling him to take action.

"That's fine," she answered brightly. "I'm just glad everyone's here to share it with me. I've been kinda lonely here, so it's nice to get everyone together in one place." She turned from Jaime to survey the scene, a light and happy energy rolling off of her. Jaime picked up on it at once and silently told himself that two years wasn't that much of a difference in age…

"Still, I feel bad about not getting you anything…"

After he said this, Cassie stepped just a bit closer to the boy and the Scarab took notice. _"Your hormones have gone into overdrive. I suggest you back away or I will take action."_

"No!" Jaime shouted in response to the Scarab—however, Cassie misinterpreted his yell and started taking steps back. "No, Cassie, I… Sorry. I was just…"

"Talking to yourself again?" she asked, cheekiness alight in her eyes. Jaime decided to play along.

"Yeah… Now, were you going to say something?"

"Oh! Yes! I know what you can… give me for my birthday!" Jaime let his brow furrow. "Tell me happy birthday… in Spanish!"

Jaime smiled, for this was an easy task. But then an idea occurred to him… _"Don't you dare, Jaime Reyes…"_ the Scarab threatened.

"Cassie, do you know Spanish?" he asked the blonde.

She shook her head. "Nope! That's why I want to hear you say it! I love listening to other languages…"

Jaime smiled even wider. "Okay. Here goes…" He paused for effect. "Feliz cumpleaños, mi amor."

"Yay!" Cassie exclaimed. "Thanks." She then proceeded to pull Jaime into a bone-crushing hug, which he thoroughly enjoyed—though the Scarab had other thoughts on the matter…

**Author's Notes: Awwww… Aren't they just adorable? I wuv dem… Don't you? Yeah… Well you guys are lucky! Two chapters in one day? That's almost unheard of! XD I'll probably continue with these two in later chapters. But I think we're due for a Rachel chapter, no…? Hopefully be up on Sunday. I HAVE AN IDEA! YAY!**

**Here's a translation for Jaime's dialogue if you don't know Spanish like me. So, I am apologizing in advance if something is wrong… I used Google Translate, and I know those things aren't always accurate…**

_**No, it's not**_

_**Happy birthday, my love**_

**Anywhoooo…. Thanks for reading! Comments make the world go round… Love you, my Baby Marshmallows!**

**Cordially,**

**LadyFrederic**


	19. Bigger Secrets

**A continuation of "Secrets Revealed"**

Garfield sighed. He set his chin down on his crossed arms, which were resting on his curled up knees. He felt like he had been there for an eternity; just sitting there, waiting, like he had done every night that week. His eyelids were droopy. His whole body was shaking from the chilly air. He swore he was coming down with a cold, with how runny his nose was and how sore his throat was. Garfield knew he could just transform into a wolf or a tiger or something. And yet… He was afraid that if she saw him, had actually come to speak with him since running away like that, she would be hesitant to speak with a massive green polar bear. Garfield couldn't take that chance…

He hadn't stopped thinking about her; not at all. In fact, the teen believed he had begun thinking about her more often, if that was possible. And the more he thought about her, the more he realized he had missed things about her. The way she barely seemed to smile. The way she closed off to others around her. The way her lips moved, just slightly, and then something strange would happen… There was something off about her. And the green boy was determined to find out what it was—and help her, if she wanted him to.

So, there he was, sitting on the curb in Gotham, the spot where they usually met. All the lights in the area were off as it was well past two in the morning, save a single street lamp a few yards away that was constantly flickering feebly, half strobing the teen. He was wearing the cloak, huddling to gain some form of warmth, and eventually changed into a husky dog, sighing as the fur provided instant shelter from the wind. He continued to sit there, though, not shivering quite as badly, and waited. Just waited…

.3.

An icy hand gripped Garfield's shoulder, prompting him to jump out of his skin. He was immediately on the offensive, forgetting where he was, what he had been doing, simply understanding that he was being touched by a foreign object. Then, when the brightness of the sun went away and he slightly rubbed his eyes to rid them of the crusty debris that had formed there, he saw who had woken him. "R—Rachel…!" he gasped, flushing red at once. "Wha—I—um…" Rachel simply looked at him, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Uh… hi…" He looked at the cracked pavement, Rachel unknowingly mirroring his actions.

"Listen…" she began, and he at once looked at her with expectation, causing the words to get caught in the girl's throat, and giving them both the chance to examine the other. Rachel could see Garfield was sleep-deprived; heavy bags had formed under his eyes, and his nose was running profusely, even though he attempted to brush it aside. His clothes were a bit disheveled and his emerald hair was sticking up in odd angles at some places. Rachel knew she was the reason he was like this, know it was because of her that he was sick—but she still found it endearing that he waited for her. Garfield, meanwhile, was in awe of the girl, as usual. She was wearing a black tank top, covered by a cut up navy tee, black skinny jeans and black combat boots. The look was completed with her usual golden pendant, and Garfield couldn't help but sigh in the sight of her beauty.

"Yeah?" he asked, prompting the gorgeous girl, who looked so nervous, so scared.

"Um… can I… show you something…?" Rachel barely whispered the words and Garfield had to listen hard to pick them up.

"Of course. What?"

"Not here." Rachel looked straight in his eyes when she spoke this time and he nodded his approval, smiling at her. Rachel just sighed and grabbed his hands, stepping close to him and bowing her head. They were inches apart, and Garfield felt his heart beating in his ears. He then realized just how short Rachel was—she couldn't have been more than a year older than him. However, he wasn't thinking about this for much longer, for suddenly the couple was in the middle of a grassy field—not in downtown Gotham City.

"What? How the?" Garfield turned around, confusion evident in his tone. "How'd we get here? What did you do?" His voice didn't sound angry or frightened; just surprised and intrigued. This was a relief to the raven-haired girl.

"I… teleported us."

"How?" Garfield asked excitedly, walking up to the girl. There was a light in his eyes that wasn't present there before. It gave Rachel confidence.

"I'm… well. It's kinda hard to explain, but… I'm…" She couldn't say it. The consequences would be too grave. He would run. He would hate her. He would leave her alone. He would _break_ _her heart_…

"You don't have to tell me." Rachel looked up at Garfield and saw his face looked extremely welcoming, warm, and tender. "Not if you're not ready."

"But… I want to!" she half-yelled. She looked frantic, desperate.

"Then just say it!" he shouted back. "Tell me!"

Rachel's blood was pumping, nerves flowing through her. She _couldn't_. She _shouldn't_. She wouldn't.

"C'mon, just _tell_ me! I want to know!"

Garfield's tone was playful, but Rachel knew he meant it. She _could_ tell him. She _should_ tell him—he _deserved_ to know. …But what would _happen_ to him? More importantly, what would happen when her _dad_ found out Garfield knew?

"_Please_?"

No, her dad didn't matter. _Garfield_ was all that mattered; she hadn't cared for someone since… well… _ever_. He was _all she had_. He _had_ to know.

"Tell me, Rachel!"

Raven's will snapped.

"I'M HALF-DEMON!"

_Silence._

**Author's Note: What do you think? That's all I've got for now.**

**Please review! Thanks!**

**Cordially,**

**LadyFrederic**


	20. Dates and Stalkers

**Requested by Spoiler1001**

"Garfield, come here." The green changeling rolled up from his bed, having to leave the zoology journal behind, and walked to the main hall to answer Nightwing's call. He strolled through the halls languidly, taking in his surroundings. The Cave was quiet as usual, not much action going on, for it was a Friday evening and there were no missions assigned. So what did Nightwing need…?

Garfield moseyed on into the main hall and was met by a frantic Nightwing. "Finally, there you are. Come here." Garfield approached his elder, wondering what had happened that made the adult so worried.

"What is it?" the boy asked, coming closer to Nightwing. "What do you need?"

"I need you…" He paused, strain evident on his face. "I need you to…"

"What?" Garfield prompted. He was getting impatient.

"I need you to tail someone." Garfield simply stared at the boy.

"Huh?"

"I need you to tail someone," he repeated.

"Who? Why?"

"Because I'm worried about them."

"Look, Nightwing, you need to give me more than that." The younger boy crossed his arms.

"Fine." He dug around in a file folder and pulled out two pictures, handing one to Garfield. "The boy's name is Tim Drake. He's an adopted son of Wayne and… a friend. He's going out tonight with her." Nightwing gave him the next picture, a photo of a cute blonde girl, about fifteen. "Now, normally I wouldn't make much of this, but this girl's father is Cluemaster, a criminal in Gotham. She has no criminal background, but I want to make sure she doesn't try anything on my… friend." Garfield nodded.

"So I just need to follow this guy around while he's on a date?"

"Basically," Nightwing answered, shrugging his shoulders. "I would go tail them myself, but I've already spoken with my friend, telling him this is a bad idea. He'll be looking for any _person_ following him. You can disguise yourself better." Garfield sighed.

"And what do I get for doing this?" the child asked, wanting to get a reward.

"Oh, I don't know. How about I take you out to get ice cream?"

"Sweet! I'm off!" Garfield ran for the zeta tubes, heading for Gotham and his mission, Nightwing shaking his head and smiling.

.3.

Garfield was in the sky, flying through the air as a blue-throated hummingbird. It was naturally green, so he felt he was even more camouflaged. It was easy to find the couple, for Nightwing had given him the address of the girl—Stephanie—which is where 'Tim' was going to pick her up. He simply waited, a 1975 black Cadillac limousine finally gliding around the corner and into the driveway. A boy exited the vehicle, around fourteen, wearing a blue T-shirt, a dark green jacket, and expensive black jeans. He jogged to the front door and rang the doorbell, nervously rubbing his hands together. Garfield smiled—as you do when you're a hummingbird—and hovered over a patch of flowers, trying to seem discreet.

The driver, who was an elderly but hale looking man, drove away, leaving the boy at the door. After a few more seconds of waiting, the large entrance finally opened to reveal a very pretty girl with white blonde hair and bright cerulean eyes. She was a lot nicer looking in person and Garfield noticed the way Tim's face lit up when he saw her, how his cheeks slightly flushed. No doubt; the boy was head over heels.

Stephanie closed the door and came outside, looping her arm around Tim's and causing the boy to beam even more. They then walked down the little sidewalk, unperturbed by the slight breeze in the air. Actually, the couple seemed to be enjoying the wind, for it allowed an excuse to cuddle closer to one another. They were giggling and smiling and chatting as they walked, causing the… well, _spying_ boy to feel mighty awkward. Garfield felt like he was intruding on something private, like there would be repercussions—especially if he was seen. So the green child took extra caution, keeping his distance, but still following.

Then, after an hour of flying about, trailing the two, Garfield began getting bored. They weren't doing anything particularly interesting, and he felt that if he truly watched he would be intruding on the couple's privacy. The boy took to flying around lazily, occasionally changing what he looked like. He took his eyes off the two for just a second, and then…

A scream. A piercing scream cut through the air and Garfield's heart _dropped_. What if it was the pair he was _supposed_ to be watching? What if something happened? How would Nightwing kill him? He bolted to the place where he heard the shriek. Garfield saw shadows down an alleyway and feared the worst…

The young boy dropped to the ground and peeked around the corner, expecting to see a two-bit crook holding the loving couple at gunpoint, threatening to take the girl's life if the boy didn't hand over all his valuables—which, Garfield guessed, would be quite valuable. So, when the green changeling saw what was really there, he nearly thought he was going crazy.

On the ground, arms twisted in unnatural ways, was a grimy looking criminal, a cheap pistol lying barely six inches away. Up against the filthy, dirt encrusted deep red brick wall was another robber, pinned there by the finely manicured hands of the 'Stephanie' girl. The man was blubbering like a baby, begging the blonde to not do to him what she had done to his partner. "Oh, don't worry. I didn't kill him. But he'll be in the hospital for a bit. After all, it was justifiable self-defense, right, Tim?" The boy in question looked pleasantly surprised and nodded his agreement. "Now, what I'd like you to do is just sit here while I call the police, 'kay? If you try anything… Well, let's just say I've been having a really nice night, and I don't want to ruin it." The thug nodded, continuing to snivel about in an indecipherable way, tears starting to bud from his eyes. "Nice! Alright, Timmy, let's call the boys in blue." Her companion blushed at his nickname and pulled out his cell phone, dialing the number and speaking to the police, telling them their location and what happened. Garfield stayed out of sight, but he could have sworn the boy spotted him, for a firm scowl became imprinted on his brow and he looked suspicious.

The evening progressed normally after that, nothing really happening until Tim and Stephanie went back to the latter's house. She opened her door and said something to Tim, which made him smile and nod. They then hugged and Stephanie placed a gentle kiss on his cheek, making the boy turn scarlet. She went inside and Tim waved, sighing in a satisfied way and turning around. Just then, the limousine from before pulled around the corner and slid up to the curb, the boy hopping inside instantly. Job completed, Garfield flew back to the nearest zeta spot, wondering what kind of ice cream he would receive…

.3.

Garfield walked into the Cave, taking big strides and swinging his arms merrily to and fro. He had finally decided on what type of frozen dairy treat he desired—cheesecake ice cream with cheesecake pieces, all covered in chocolate chips from that new gourmet sweet shop in Happy Harbor—and was about to tell Nightwing that, when he heard distinctive shouting. "I _thought_ you said you'd leave me alone! And then I see _him_ _peeping_ from the end of the alley! You can't tell me he just _happened_ to be right where I was and—"

"_Shut up, Robin_! Someone might hear you!"

"Oh, _doubtful_! You said no one had a mission tonight."

"Yes, but Garfield's probably coming _back_, and if he _hears_ you—"

"_What_? He'll figure out that—"And then the green boy strolled into the main hall, causing the bickering boys to go deathly silent.

"Uh, should I… go…?" he asked nervously, knowing that he could always postpone his ice cream trip…

**Author's Note: There you have it. AWKO TACO. I don't know when I'll be able to get the next installment up, soooo… yeahhh…**

**I'd like to thank that "Guest" who corrected me—you are correct. The show is not on hiatus, Cartoon Network is doing this to us. D: With no explanation, might I add. Thank you for clearing that up, and if I ever say the show is on hiatus, please understand I mean that the great CN is doing this, not DC Nation. **

**I have some ideas for stories, including Raven, Jaime/Cassie, and more fun Garfield, so I might not do a request (if you have one) for a while. Just wanted you guys to know!**

**I'm so happy to be writing for you again. Thanks for reading, my Diamonds in the Sky, and see ya next time! ;D**

**Cordially,**

**LadyFrederic**


	21. Cheese-to-the-PUFFS

"Who wants snacks?" Barbara called out to the rest of the Team. It was one of their first nights without a mission, and they were all taking advantage of it, deciding to watch a movie all together and have 'team-bonding'. The final person had arrived—Jaime—and the rest of the Team was already seated on the couch, save Barbara who had gotten up to get anyone snacks or drinks or whatever. Garfield hopped up as well to help her carry things and wandered into the kitchen after the girl after asking everyone what they wanted. "So, Gar, what are the orders?" the red-head asked.

"Nightwing, Robin, and Conner want buttered popcorn, Mal and Karen both just want a cola, M'gann and La'gaan said they don't want anything, Bart has his own snack, and Jaime said he'll have whatever Cassie's having—which is some chocolate chip cookies M'gann made this morning. I want some cheese puffs, and then there's you." Barbara nodded, walking around the kitchen and retrieving the items the green boy mentioned. She grabbed the unopened bag of cheese puffs after putting the popcorn in the microwave and threw it at her helper.

Garfield caught the bag and opened it at once, shoving his hand in the sack and pulling out a fistful of the orange treats, inhaling the scent of cheesy goodness. He popped all the little spheres in his mouth and sighed happily, enjoying the taste. Then, a thought struck the boy. "Hey, Barbara?" he asked.

"Yeah?" she replied, pulling out the cookies from the fridge and removing the lid from the Tupperware container they were in.

"What's even _in_ cheese puffs?" he questioned, eyeing the package suspiciously.

"How should I know? Look at the ingredients."

"Duh. Why didn't _I_ think of that? I _knew_ there was a reason we kept you around…" Barbara rolled her eyes as the boy proceeded to examine the ingredient list.

"So, what's in it?" the now curious teen asked.

"Uh…" Garfield paused. "Enriched corn meal, vegetable oil, cheese seasoning, canola oil, malto… dex… trin…? Salt, whey protein concentrate, monosodium, glut—a—mate, natural and artificial flavors, lactic acid, citric acid, artificial color, and salt again. There's also a bunch of acids and weird words I can't pronounce. Huh." He looked up at Barbara who was smiling after shoving another mouthful of the snack in his mouth. "What?"

"Nothing. I just thought you'd be a little more… cautious since you read a label that just laid out all the ingredients in your food."

"Nope," he said, continuing to pile the treat in. "Nothing can stand between me and my cheese puffs."

**Author's Note: I like to think Garfield has an affinity for cheesy things. I dunno.**

**Have a good day!**

**Cordially,**

**LadyFrederic**


	22. Nicknames (JC)

This was getting exhausting, if anything. Every time he tried to get himself all psyched up to go ask Cassie if she wanted to go to the movies or something with him, this obnoxious voice would—_"I will not allow you to go on a so-called date with the Wonder Girl. She is not good for your focus."_ Jaime was more than over the Scarab's comments on his love life.

"I can do what I want, thank you very much," the teen mumbled in return.

"_No, you cannot. Not with me attached to you in the way I am."_ Jaime pinched the bridge of his nose, squinting his eyes and trying to ignore the voice in his head, which had only gotten louder, more forceful. _"Wonder Girl only distracts. There are no benefits for you to have a relationship with her."_ The host of this parasite ran his hands through his hair, ruining how it was styled. It was no use. He couldn't fight the voice any longer, was getting tired of the battle. But… _"The Wonder Girl is most certainly not worth just ignoring me."_

"UGH!" Jaime yelled, standing up from his bed at Mount Justice. "Can I choose _one_ thing in my life, por favor? You've been controlling everything I do since the moment you… _attached_ yourself to me—_not_ my choice, might I add—and you nag me _constantly_ to kill people, _my_ _friends_, _anyone_. You have to realize that we're a _hero_; we _save_ people, we don't _kill_ them!" There was silence for once in Jaime's head, the only sound that of his breath, coming fast and hard. He hadn't been that angry for ages, usually keeping his temper in check, which could get quite violent. He sighed forcefully, trying to collect his thoughts and get back to the task at hand—finding out a clever way to ask Cassie out.

"_I still say this is stupid,"_ the Scarab murmured, continuing to try influencing his host.

"Well, you know what? I don't care." Jaime then checked his hair in the mirror and left his room, heading for the den, where Cassie was; he paid no mind to the Scarab, which was quietly threatening Jaime and 'the Wonder Girl'.

The teen walked determinedly to where Cassie was, thankful to find she had just finished a television show and was quite alone. "Hey, Cass," he called out good-naturedly.

"Oh, hi, Jaime," she answered, still sitting on the couch. She flipped her hair over the back and smiled at the boy, motioning for him to come join her, and unknowingly causing said boy's heart to flutter gaily in his chest. He did as she had sort of asked, sitting only slightly awkwardly on the couch next to the girl of his dreams. "What's on your mind? You look like a man with a plan!" Her innocence was so endearing, Jaime nearly confessed his love to the girl right then and there. However, the Scarab threatened a horrible amount of things if he did so.

"Well, I was just wondering something…" The boy was thinking how he could say this without causing his resident to hurt Cassie.

"_You know I can hear what you're thinking, right?"_ it asked, sinking its legs deeper into Jaime's back. Jaime shook his head and noticed Cassie was still waiting for an answer.

"Oh, sorry. Um, I wanted to know…" Jaime could feel the armor creeping from the spot on his back, desperately trying to push it away and still speak to Cassie, "if you wanted to…" The armor was now trailing its way down his arm, transforming into the cannon already, preparing to obliterate the love of his life. The girl in question was giving Jaime a look of total worry and concern—he was acting extremely weird… was he okay? "Uh, sorry, if you wanted to—"

"_Say one more word and the Wonder Girl dies."_

Jaime froze. A stricken look overcame his face and he could barely breathe. "_No_," he mouthed, not at all audible.

"Sorry, what was that?" Cassie asked, her unease even greater for her teammate. "Jaime, are you okay?"

"You… you _wouldn't_…"

"_Try me,"_ the Scarab replied, no hesitation in its voice. Jaime simply breathed shakily, thinking fast of how he could get out of this without hurting Cassie. Finally, after what seemed like years, an idea came upon him and he jumped on it.

"Yeah, I'm… I'm fine." He tried to smile, but Cassie's frown and worry-lines were not quick to vanish. "I was just wondering if you wanted me to give you a nickname. I mean, Cass is cute and all, and I really like your full name, too, but I'd like to have a different name for you, something just I call you." Cassie was suddenly blushing furiously, and Jaime realized what he said, heat slowly sneaking into his own cheeks. "I didn't mean… Uh… I mean, if you don't want a nickname, then that's fine, but I was just thinking that maybe you did, and—"

Cassie placed a single finger on the boy's lips, the Scarab commenting on the sudden increase of hormonal disturbances. "It's fine. I know what you mean." She was smiling brightly, happiness evident. "No one's ever given me a nickname before—besides Cass, obviously. But that's still a part of my name. I'd love one!"

"Great! Actually, I came up with three different ones… I want you to pick."

"Oooooh! Exciting! What do you have?"

Jaime paused, looking down at his hands and then back up into Cassie's dazzling, gorgeous blue eyes. "The first one's 'Preguntarse'."

"Are these all going to be Spanish?" the girl suddenly interjected. Jaime nodded. "…Will you tell me what they mean?" This time the boy shook his head, grinning. "_Great_… Keep going!"

"Okay. The next one is 'Estrella'."

"Oooooh, I like that one. It's pretty…" Jaime chuckled and shook his head.

"The last one is…" He stopped, for a bit, thinking of the consequences of about what he was now going to say. Nightwing, Robin, and Batgirl would surely know what he was saying if they heard him call Cassie this, if not more members of the Team. He was taking a huge risk here.

"What is it?" Cassie prompted, scooting closer to Jaime.

"The last one is 'Mi Amor'." There. It was in the air, it was out there. He said it, and he kind of hoped Cassie would choose this one—although, at the same time, he was extremely afraid that she would. But it was now out of his hands.

"Hmmmm…" the girl mused, placing her hand on her chin. "This would be a lot easier if I knew what they stood for…"

Jaime let a laugh out. "That's the point! For all you know, I could just be making something up."

"That is true… Huh. Well… I think… I think…" Jaime sat there, waiting, scared and yet insanely electrified. "Maybe… I think I like… Oh, I don't know. Um, I want…" Cassie was truly going to drive him crazy if she didn't just pick one now. "I want… the last one!"

Her choice smacked him in the face harder than a punch from Conner. He was thrilled, but at the same time, he was so incredibly frightened. If anyone heard him who even spoke a small amount of Spanish, they would instantly know what he was calling the girl and would definitely tell her. "Okay. From now on, you'll be Mi Amor. Unless someone else is around. I don't want them to steal it." Cassie giggled slightly and placed her hand over her mouth.

"Okay. It'll be our little secret." She leaned forward suddenly and pulled Jaime into a hug, squeezing him gently and nestling her head against his chest. "Thanks, Jaime. I've never had a friend like you before. I mean, I've _had_ friends before, but… for some reason, you're just _different_." Jaime's heart was going a mile a minute and he gingerly placed his arms around Cassie. Eventually, though, the blissful state had to come to an end, and Cassie pulled away, face slightly flushed. She then glanced at the Cave clock and realized she was late for something. "Oh, I have to go, Jaime! Sorry. I guess… I guess I'll see you tomorrow!" She hopped up as she said this, and after stating her parting wishes, she bent down and placed a kiss on his cheek before running off for the zeta tubes. Jaime at once went red, but he didn't mind.

"_Yes_! This is awesome!" he said, getting up from the couch.

"_No. This is bad. You have condemned yourself, Jaime Reyes."_ Jaime rolled his eyes, passion from Cassie's kiss fueling his rebellious acts towards the Scarab.

"Have you ever thought that love is a _good_ thing?" he asked the presence.

"_How could love be good? It distracts. It causes emotions to become involved. It hurts people. Love is a horrible thing."_

"But don't you always want me to fight better?"

"_Yes. Of course."_

"Then don't you think I'd fight better if I had someone—someone who was _on_ the Team that was put in danger and could be hurt—_to fight for_? To protect so I would battle fiercer, more savagely?" The Scarab was silent; Jaime concluded it could find no argument to _that_.

**Author's Note: More Jaime/Cassie. :D If you don't like this, I'll include a little "J/C" in the chapter titles that are about them. However, Jaime is in the description of these one-shots and is one of the characters. Don't worry, this won't turn into a Jaime/Cassie set of one-shots; but I do not feel bad about including them.**

_**Translation:**_

_**Por Favor—Please**_

_**Preguntarse—Wonder**_

_**Estrella—Star**_

_**Mi Amor—My Love**_

**Anyways, thanks for reading, as usual. Next might be a BB/Rae chapter. …Maybe… Don't expect it too soon, though. SCHOOL IS COMING AND TAKES UP ALL MY TIME.**

**Like always, I love you guys. -w- Stay classy, my Butter-Ball-Turkeys! (Get it… it's November… Thanksgiving… Sorry. American holiday… XD)**

**Cordially,**

**LadyFrederic**


	23. What the Hey

**A continuation of "Bigger Secrets"**

"_Noted_." The eerie silence continued on for a bit, neither teen breathing. Finally Garfield spoke up again. "Is… that all…?" He felt a little rude for asking this, but he honestly wanted to know; did she have any other bombs to drop?

"Actually, no. There's more." The girl wouldn't meet the changeling's inquisitive eyes and it was driving him crazy. Was she scared? Sad? Angry? He just couldn't tell. "My—my name. It's not really Rachel." Garfield stood, simply waiting patiently. "My name is Raven."

More quiet.

Raven eventually found the courage to raise her head and saw that although Garfield was looking at her, he wasn't focused on her. It was as if his brain was off in another part of the earth, not sitting comfortably in his skull. His usually bright, impish eyes were glazed over, staring straight through her. It made her feel vulnerable and very much like a child; a feeling she did not care for at all. "Um. Garfield?" He moved, barely at all, but Raven knew the gesture meant he heard her. "Do you… do you hate me?"

She tried to keep the sorrow out of her tone, tried to keep the pain away—emotions she shouldn't even feel, the girl scolded herself—but she failed miserably, and Garfield noticed. Her eyebrows were low, her voice strained. When she had yelled at him the truth about her parentage his heart had cracked a little, he wouldn't deny it. And now, learning that she had lied to him about her name as well, something he found so trivial, a deep crevice was slowly gnawing its way to prevalence in his tender green chest. Yes, it was true that he had hid his superhero powers from the girl; but that was for her sake, to keep her safe. What reason did she have for not telling the person who cared for her that she was a half-demon? When he obviously had problems himself?

But at least all of it now made sense. Why she was outside that particular bookshop the first time he met her. Why her hair and eye color were so odd. Why, when he made a fool of himself at that sub shop, no one had noticed. Why she seemed to appear out of nowhere. Why she didn't find him as strange as others did. Why she had such a creepy but attractive air about her… The dots were all connecting, the puzzle was coming together.

"No." The single word was accompanied with a deep sigh as Garfield readjusted his gaze so he was looking at the ground. "I don't hate you. I mean, you obviously had a reason for hiding your identity." At that Raven's eyes went stricken and dark, her overall demeanor going defensive and frightened. "I don't know what that reason is… but it's yours to tell. I won't pry. I'll just be here—to listen when you're ready." Garfield knew this would be difficult. He had dealt with Martians, Atlanteans, a variety of other aliens, magicians, and _the_ Batman; but demon lore was something totally out of his comfort zone. One doesn't just become friends with a demon, half or no.

…But he was determined to try.

"Thanks, Garfield," Raven said, her voice sounding just a bit happier. "I'm not ready. Not yet; but I promise that when I am, you'll be the first person I come to."

Garfield smiled at that, looking forward to when she could part with all her troubles. A certain rush of excitement suddenly flew through him next, and he felt empowered, ready to start this new relationship; but he knew, that for now, being Raven's best friend was the best thing for her. She was off-limits until she trusted him more, was ready to put him in danger. Until then, he would just be her confidant, her go-to pal—and he was content with that. After all, he was only thirteen. They had a lot of time to grow into something more.

"Good. I mean, what the hey. It's not everyday you get to meet a half-demon, right?" he replied, grinning widely. "Now, I have one more thing to ask you…" Raven offered him a small smile.

"Yeah?"

"…Can you get us back to Gotham…?"

Raven just laughed and grabbed his hands. "Of course I can. I've got quite a few powers."

"_Noted_."

**Author's Note: Just friends… FOR NOW. I've got a bunch of ideas lined up until another BB/Rae chapter, so you'll just have to wait to see how they grow next. It's _killing_ you, _I know_.**

**So yeah. Hope you enjoyed! I love you all more than Double Rainbows All the Way. Please leave a review…**

**Cordially,**

**LadyFrederic**


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